Take a deep breath and notice the way you feel. Mindfully inhaling and exhaling may result in a noticeable difference in your body, including reducing your stress and even lowering your blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association. That’s all thanks to your lungs, which work overtime every day and night to help you relax, while also doing so much more.
Your two lungs are essential workhorses in your body that deliver oxygen to your bloodstream, remove carbon dioxide and help you breathe easily. Every day, we take nearly 20,000 breaths. Your lungs function automatically, and because of that we often don’t even think about them, unless they’re pushed to the limit, or there’s something wrong. This is why it’s important to take care of your lungs so they can carry on and take care of you. Here are nine ways to do that.
- Quit smoking. With more than 7,000 chemicals, cigarettes can quickly damage your lungs. In fact, smokers are 20 times more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers, and nearly all lung cancer is caused by smoking, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Secondhand smoke can also be harmful to your health, and may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, lung conditions and different types of cancer, according to Cleveland Clinic.
- Get moving. Exercise benefits just about all aspects of mental and physical health, including lung health. When you breathe hard during a workout you’re delivering more oxygen to your bloodstream and strengthening your lungs in the process. According to the American Lung Association, exercise may help decrease your risk for a number of chronic illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain types of cancer. U.S. guidelines recommend that adults get about 30 minutes of exercise five days a week (along with two sessions of strength training). And, yes, walking counts! For ideas on how to move more throughout the day visit this “Move More” fact sheet.
- Strive to be around clean air. Monitor the air pollution in your area and, when possible, avoid going outside when the Air Quality Index is high. In your home, be mindful of products that create fumes, such as chemical cleaners and aerosols. Clean your home regularly to get rid of allergens, mold, dust and other things that could irritate your lungs. If you work around materials and pollutants that could be harmful to your health, be sure to wear protective gear.
- Test your home for radon gas. This colorless, tasteless, odorless gas can seep into your home through cracks in the wall and cause health problems. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, radon is the top cause of lung cancer among non-smokers in the country. A simple, inexpensive test can measure whether there’s radon in your home so you know whether to take action.
- Eat a balanced diet. Food is your fuel, and what you put in your tank impacts your performance. While there’s no specific “healthy lung” diet, choosing to eat nutritious foods can influence how you feel, how you move and how you think. A balanced diet can also help you maintain a healthy body weight. In general, strive to eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free or low-fat dairy products, along with lean proteins, eggs, beans and peas, soy products, nuts and seeds. At the same time, avoid or minimize eating foods with added sugar, saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol. To get an idea of portion sizes, follow the U.S. government’s MyPlate Plan.
- See your health care provider regularly. When you have a physical exam, your doctor may measure the amount of oxygen in your blood (that’s called pulse oximetry) and conduct a lung exam or chest exam. This can help them detect anything abnormal, and potentially uncover any respiratory conditions. Plus, your physical exams give your primary care provider a baseline for your health, which can be informative during future visiting.
- Get up to date on routine vaccinations. Vaccines can help protect you from a number of infectious respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, influenza, pertussis (whooping cough), pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and tuberculosis. These are all conditions that can be unpredictable, and potentially serious. Talk to your doctor about what immunizations you need, and stick with the vaccine schedule they suggest.
- Wash your hands regularly. Infectious diseases can spread between humans through the air and through direct contact. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), washing your hands with soap and water is one of the best ways to stay healthy. Be sure to wash your hands before you touch your eyes, nose and/or mouth, before you eat or prepare food, after you touch surfaces (or people or pets) that may have germs on them and after you blow your nose, cough and/or sneeze. Learn more about when and how to wash your hands here.
- Take deep breaths. Too much stress can throw the body out of whack. According to Harvard Medical School, stress responses can suppress the immune system, making you more susceptible to getting ill. Stress can also increase your risk for anxiety and depression. Taking slow, deep breaths — known as “diaphragmatic breathing” — can help you relax and allow you to pause and reassess how you are going to respond to a stressful situation. Michigan Medicine suggests breathing in deeply enough to push your belly out and counting to four, then breathing out enough to draw your belly in and count to six. Try making this a daily practice, aiming for 10 minutes a day, and see how you feel.
If you don’t think about your lungs every day, it’s likely because they’re puffing along and doing what they’re supposed to do. That’s great news, and it’s something we shouldn’t take for granted. By forming healthy habits, like eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, maintaining stress and keeping regular appointments with your primary care provider, you’re doing your lungs, and your health, a big favor.
