【Learning points】
Pursed Lip Breathing is a breathing exercise that can be performed at any time in daily life. It should be practiced regularly to help the gas to enter and exit the airway smoothly, increase lung function, and relieve discomfort when shortness of breath.
I.What is Pursed Lip Breathing ?
Pursed Lip Breathing is using “circular lip breathing" to exhale slowly, with benefits as follows:
Keeping constant pressure in the airway and preventing small airway collapse.
During exhalation, pursed lip breathing helps strengthen the respiratory muscles, improve gas exchange, and reduce anxiety through relaxation techniques. It also helps slow the breathing rate and relieve shortness of breath after daily activities such as walking or toileting.
II.Operating methods
- Choose a comfortable posture and relax your shoulders.
- May use oxygenation during the practice, which may reduce the working load of breath and make it comfortable.
- Sit straight, lean forward, with hands put on thighs (Figure 1) or the desktop during the practice (Figure 2).during inhalation, breathe through your nose (Figure 3), close your mouth to avoid drying, and count 1,2 in silence. during exhalation, purse your lips, spit out the air through the mouth slowly like blowing out the candles, and count 1,2,3,4 (Figure 4).in silence to keep the length of exhalation twice the inspiration. After several times of practice, you will feel easier and smoother.
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Practice for 10 minutes each session, four times a day (morning, noon, afternoon, and evening). Avoid practicing within one hour before or after meals to reduce the risk of choking and aspiration pneumonia.
III.Conclusion
Pursed Lip Breathing is a simple and easy-to-execute home exercise. Through daily practice, it can reduce the symptoms of dyspnea after exercise, thereby improving the quality of life.
IV.Reference
Dodange, Z., Darvishpour, A., Ershad, M. J., & Gholami-Chaboki, B. (2024). Comparison of the effects of diaphragmatic breathing and pursed-lip breathing exercises on the sleep quality of elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): A clinical trial study. Therapeutic Advances in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, 19, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/29768675241302901