Living with someone who has COPD involves a blend of practical support, emotional encouragement, and maintaining a healthy and safe home environment for both of you.
There are certain things that should be avoided, if possible, to reduce COPD symptoms and the chances of a flare-up, including:
Family members may feel angry because of the perceived “self-inflicted” nature of the condition and this can impact negatively on family dynamics. For the patient there may be feelings of guilt, low self- esteem and embarrassment which will impact on their confidence.
If you have COPD, you can take steps to feel better and slow the damage to your lungs:
Over 1 in 3 people with COPD report symptoms of anxiety and depression. Yet, challenges with mental health are often under-recognised and under-treated in people living with chronic lung disease.
Only a few studies investigated the role of personality in COPD. In one study, COPD patients were found to be more neurotic than healthy controls (33). Other two prospective studies suggest that personality factors, such as neuroticism and pessimism, might play a role in the prevalence and course of disease (34,35).
There is considerable evidence for a relationship between negative emotion of all sorts in asthma (anger, anxiety, sadness) and deterioration in pulmonary function. Thus, one connection between lung disease and anger may be through the physiological effects of chronic anger.
stopping smoking – if you have COPD and you smoke, this is the most important thing you can do.
Pitch in with daily chores and activities
Sometimes even the simplest everyday tasks can seem daunting for a person with COPD. You can help by offering to: Do household chores that require strenuous physical effort and exertion. Help with daily errands like grocery shopping or picking up dry cleaning.
NICE has defined the “five fundamentals of COPD care”: smoking cessation, vaccination, pulmonary rehabilitation, personalised self-management planning, and optimising treatment for co-morbidities.
COPD can cause many complications, including: Respiratory infections. People with COPD are more likely to have colds, the flu and pneumonia. Any respiratory infection can make it much harder to breathe and could cause more damage to lung tissue.
Award rates. 30% of PIP claimants with COPD, get the enhanced rate of both the daily living and the mobility component. 93% of claimants with COPD who get an award get the daily living component, compared to 90% who get the mobility component.
COPD Self-care: The Top 10 Most Helpful Tips
Loneliness poses significant public health concerns on a global scale. Being alone and lacking social connections have been proven to impact prognosis and response to treatment in different diseases, including COPD.
Cigarette smoke is a major COPD trigger; however, all types of smoke can make it hard to breathe. Other sources of smoke can come from secondhand smoke, wood-burning fireplaces and burning leaves. If you smoke, you should quit. If you do not smoke, but are around secondhand smoke, try to avoid or limit your exposure.
Prioritise – prioritise energy-giving activities and things that are most important. Plan – plan time flexibly for activities for the day and for the week. Pace – pace activity by balancing activity with rest and avoid the boom/bust trap. Problem solve – work together to solve problems.
If your COPD symptoms are severe you may need to avoid most types of cleaning as even small amounts of dust or mould could cause a flare-up.
According to our data, the West Coast is the best place to live in the U.S. in terms of lung health. Six of the top 10 states are located on the western side of the country, with Colorado, Hawaii, and New Mexico making up the top three.
Researchers have found that for people with COPD, the ideal temperature is 70 degrees with a humidity level of 40%. Temperatures above 90°F (32°C) can be particularly dangerous for people with COPD. You can avoid COPD exacerbations by staying indoors with air conditioning during the hottest times of the day.
Starting Your Day With COPD
A shower can be easier to navigate than a bath. Make sure air circulates in your bathroom to remove steam, which will ease your breathing. If shower spray on your face worsens your symptoms, lower the showerhead. Sit down to wash.
Some people with the condition only have mild lung damage and few symptoms, other people can have very damaged lungs and can find daily life very limited by breathlessness. These people would usually be considered to have a severe case of COPD. Over time, COPD does get worse because it is a progressive condition.
Insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea are commonly encountered in patients with COPD. Nocturnal hypoxemia is also prevalent in COPD may occur despite adequate awake oxygenation and can be especially severe in rapid eye movement sleep.
Staying hydrated
Getting enough water is as important for the lungs as it is for the rest of the body. “Staying well hydrated by taking in fluids throughout the day helps keep the mucosal linings in the lungs thin,” Bangarulingam says. “This thinner lining helps the lungs function better.”
Joy - Heart. Worry - Spleen. Sadness/Grief - Lungs.
When our grief and sadness become stuck, the technique of dry crying releases the heavy pressure in the lungs. Dry crying is a qigong practice we do in the autumn to let go of our grief. After a few rounds of dry crying, we can sit in stillness.