Common symptoms of COPD include shortness of breath, wheezing, increased mucus secretion, cough, frequent lung infections, fatigue and chest tightness. Among them, 50%~70% COPD patients have fatigue. Fatigue will make patients tired and lack of energy, which will obviously affect the quality of life of patients. This paper focuses on six methods to relieve fatigue.
1. Qigong
Breathing exercises are useful for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Breathing with contracted lips can improve fatigue in the following ways:
? Slow down the breathing frequency
? Reduce carbon dioxide retention
? Relieve shortness of breath
During and after any activity that causes shortness of breath, patients can try to contract their lips and breathe. Lip-shrinking breathing steps:
? Breathe through your nose for about 2 seconds.
? Pursed or contracted lips, as if blowing out a candle.
? After pouting, exhale slowly for 4-6 seconds.
? Repeat practice
balanced diet
A balanced and healthy diet can help patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease meet their energy needs and keep healthy. The American Lung Association recommends:
? Eat complex carbohydrates, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole wheat bread and pasta.
? Avoid or limit simple carbohydrates, such as sugar, soda, cakes and sweets.
? Get a lot of dietary fiber from fruits, vegetables, nuts and pasta.
? Eat protein from healthy sources, such as lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs and beans at least twice a day.
? Avoid or restrict foods containing trans and saturated fatty acids, such as fried foods, butter, biscuits, cakes and processed foods.
Some patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may find it helpful to supplement multivitamins, and need professional doctors or nutritionists to evaluate and formulate appropriate diets.
Step 3 practice regularly
When COPD patients feel tired, they may not take active exercise. However, for COPD patients, it may be beneficial to exercise regularly, such as walking, strengthening exercise and yoga. Regular exercise can improve exercise endurance and help patients resist fatigue.
Treat other diseases
Over time, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease tends to worsen, which may lead to complications and other health problems.
For example, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is very common in COPD patients. If not treated in time, some complications of COPD will aggravate fatigue. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease should be examined and treated for other possible health problems.
5. Keep enough water.
Drinking water can prevent patients from dehydration and prevent symptoms such as thickening mucus and coughing from aggravating. The American Lung Association suggests that COPD patients should drink 1400ml~ 1900ml decaffeinated water every day.
6. Stick to good sleep habits
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may affect adequate rest. Cough or shortness of breath at night will make it difficult for patients to fall asleep. Developing good sleep habits is beneficial for COPD patients to sleep at night. Good sleep habits include:
? Sleep and wake up at the same time every day.
? Limit caffeine intake a few hours before bed.
? Create a cool, dark and quiet sleeping environment.
? Do something relaxing before going to bed, such as reading, doing some light stretching exercises or taking a hot bath.
abstract
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease often feel tired. It can be improved by the doctor's management of symptoms. COPD patients can also change their lifestyle, such as improving sleep, healthy diet and exercise. It also helps to fight fatigue and improve your quality of life.
Yimaitong compiled from:
How to deal with the fatigue of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? Written by MaryAnn De Pietro of CRT by DanielMurrell, MD, on September 65, 20 13.