The Best Breathing Exercises for COPD

People with COPD struggle with breathing because the condition causes air to get trapped in the lungs and interferes with the exchange of gas, says Osita Onugha, MD, a thoracic surgeon and assistant professor of thoracic surgery at Saint John’s Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, California.

“Air trapped in the lungs doesn’t help you to breathe,” Dr. Onugha says. It’s actually the exchange of gases that happens in the lungs that give our bodies the oxygen we need. With COPD, the trapped air causes carbon dioxide to build up, which prevents fresh oxygen from getting in and leaves you feeling short of breath and constantly hungry for air.

This creates a cycle of feeling short of breath because you’re not getting the oxygen you need, which causes you to breathe more shallowly and rapidly, in turn making shortness of breath even worse.

Breathing exercises help with COPD because they help you both inhale and exhale fully, Onugha says. Breathing exercises that fully empty the lungs help get rid of trapped air and lead to fewer shortness of breath episodes.

Breathing exercises can also help people with COPD learn how to use their “breathing muscles” rather than other muscles in the body that use more energy to assist with breathing, like the arms, says Rebecca Lynn, BS, RRT, a respiratory care coordinator at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital.

In other words, with the right practice, these exercises can help retrain how you breathe.

While you can do many deep breathing exercises on your own at home, the first step anyone with COPD should take is to visit a doctor. They can evaluate the severity of the condition and recommend a treatment plan.

Many treatment plans for COPD include pulmonary rehab, which is a supervised program that includes education and exercises to improve lung function.

Under the guidance of a respiratory therapist, you will learn how to properly perform the right breathing exercises for you. Not everyone will have the same treatment plan for COPD; some people may also need additional help, such as oxygen or medication, so it’s important to work with your doctor and respiratory therapist before adding any new exercises.

Some of the breathing exercises most helpful for COPD include:

1. Pursed Lip Breathing

Onugha recommends pursed lip breathing as the number one exercise for anyone with COPD. To perform this exercise:

1. Breathe in through your nose for a count of three.
2. Breathe out through pursed lips, as if you’re blowing out a candle, for a count of three.

Lynn suggests using this breathing exercise especially when you’re exerting yourself. For example, if you’re climbing a flight of stairs, you can take a breath in before you climb, then begin breathing out with pursed lips as you climb a few steps, repeating with two to three steps at a time.

2. Belly Breathing

Belly breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, can help empty your lungs by focusing on breathing with your entire chest and abdomen. Performing belly breathing allows your diaphragm to lower, which then allows your lungs to fill.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Place your hand on your belly so you can feel it expand, and breathe in through your nose. Your shoulders, neck, and chest should be as relaxed as possible.
2. Exhale all of the air through pursed lips, feeling your belly as you breathe out.

Lynn recommends doing belly breathing while at rest, such as sitting in a chair or lying down, until it becomes routine.

3. Deep Breathing

Deep breathing is exactly what it sounds like, and the steps are simple:

1. Take a deep breath, then hold it for a few moments.
2. When you’re ready, exhale slowly through your nose.

Like belly breathing, you can practice deep breathing when you’re at rest.

4. Mindful Purposeful Breathing

Felice Heffenger, a pulmonary rehabilitation respiratory therapist at UCHealth, recommends mindful breathing as a way to naturally pace activities and build endurance. You can do this exercise with any activity and at any time of day. Here’s how to do it:

1. Inhale for a count of one as you prepare to perform an activity or exercise.
2. Exhale for a count of two as you perform the part of the activity or exercise when you’re exerting yourself the most.

The idea is to simply focus on your breath, and the key, says Heffenger, is that you don’t want to rush it. “The stress alone may cause shortness of breath,” she says.

Lynn says no matter which breathing exercise you choose, it’s a good idea to begin practicing them at home so you can work up to using them with all of your daily activities, such as walking, cleaning, or bathing.

To start, aim to do these exercises for about 10 to 15 minutes each day, then work up from there, Heffenger says.

While that may seem like a lot, Heffenger says she’s seen people with even very severe COPD see an improvement in their symptoms through breathing exercises. “It requires commitment, but the quality of life is much improved, so the payoff is big,” Heffenger says.