Irvine Woodbridge Walk-in Urgent CareBreathing — and by extension, the health of your lungs — is crucial to your well-being. Try holding your breath for a few seconds and you’ll quickly understand why. However, most people don’t think about their lungs until they experience a breathing problem. Lifestyle, genetics, and the environment can impact the strength and function of your lungs, resulting in lung diseases. The American Lung Association reports that over 34 million Americans suffer from chronic lung conditions, such as COPD, asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis.
These diseases not only cause breathing issues but also affect everyday activities and your overall quality of life. Nonetheless, you can improve your lung function with simple breathing exercises.
Every organ in your body needs oxygen. Proper breathing ensures your organs are getting the oxygen they need to function well. Practicing conscious, health-centric breath control can better manage the autonomic nervous system, which controls heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and emotional states.
When you have a problem regulating your carbon dioxide and oxygen levels, you can feel congested, suffocated, or short of breath. It’s not unusual to feel breathless if you are obese, overheated, at high altitudes, or do strenuous exercise. However, breathlessness from other causes can be a sign of health issues.
Common problems can include:
Our lungs are naturally springy, like fresh sponges. Breathing is easy for those with healthy lungs. However, COPD and asthma patients’ lungs lose their natural elasticity and fail to contract fully on a relaxed exhale, causing retained air in the chest. This leaves less room for the next inhalation and exhalation, which can impair the proper movement of both oxygen and carbon dioxide during the breathing cycle.
Breathing exercises can teach you to use your breathing muscles more efficiently, to help compensate for the loss in normal lung function.
Also known as belly breathing, diaphragmatic breathing can help increase the depth of each inhalation and exhalation and strengthen the main respiratory muscles.
To do this:
For those with chronic lung conditions like asthma and emphysema, exhaling against mild resistance can help narrowed airways stay open for longer, allowing air to flow easier on the inhale.
To do this:
This can help increase your chest capacity.
To do this:
Mostly, we don’t mind our posture while sitting/standing, but it is important for our lungs. If you sit slouched, your breathing muscles cannot move fully and your chest starts from a compressed state, resulting in compromised breathing. So, be mindful of your posture to improve breathing, such as sitting upright and standing leaning back on a wall.
Drinking enough fluids helps keep your lungs’ mucous thin instead of thick, pasty, and congested.
The outside air may have pollens and pollutants, which can irritate your airways. Consider modifying your outdoor exercise sessions if near high-traffic areas or on poor air quality days; when indoors, consider using HEPA air filters to improve your indoor air quality.
Humidifiers release steam or water vapor to increase humidity (moisture) in the air. Dry air can trigger airway irritation in people suffering from allergies, asthma, colds, or chest congestion.
Moderately intense exercises like biking and walking can help expand your lung capacity and strengthen breathing muscles; work towards exercising at least 30 minutes daily.
If you or your loved one is having breathing difficulties, visit one of our urgent care centers in Irvine Woodbridge Walk-In Urgent Care, Fountain Valley Urgent Care, or Costa Mesa Urgent Care today for proper diagnosis and treatment. We are committed to offering prompt and high-quality medical assistance seven days a week.
Dr. Bunten is originally from Huntington Beach, CA. He attended high school in Tokyo, Japan, went to college at UC San Diego and then to medical school in the Midwest. He returned home to California for residency training in Family Medicine at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. His immediate family all reside in Huntington Beach.
Dr Fishbein has been in the practice of family medicine for over 35 years in Irvine. He received his undergraduate degree from Southern Illinois University, medical degree from Chicago Medical School, and completed his family medicine residency at Memorial Hospital of Long Beach.
Dr. Kim is the Medical Director of Family Care Centers, Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Hoag Hospital, and a recipient of the Physicians of Excellence award from the Orange County Medical Association. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine, and has been practicing in our community for over 20 years.
Dr. Memon is a board certified Family Medicine physician and recently completed her fellowship in Geriatrics at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. She attended Saint George’s University, School of Medicine and completed her residency at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Her interest in medicine started at an early age and has since evolved into a passionate career.
Dr. Gina Nguyen obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UC Irvine where she graduated Suma Cum Laude. She went to USC Keck School of Medicine, and returned to UC Irvine for a Family Medicine Residency. Since 2005, she worked at Kaiser Permanente, VNCOC, and Family Care Center Urgent Care.
Dr. Williams is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Sports Medicine. He is a native to Orange County and returned home after completing his medical degree at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. After completing his residency in family practice he successfully completed a fellowship in sports medicine.
Dr. Hye Lee is a board-certified Family Practice Physician, affiliated with the American Osteopathic Association and the American College of Osteopathic Family Practice.She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UC Riverside and earned her medical degree from Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center. Afterward, she did her internship at Downey Regional Medical Center in California and has been a primary care physician since 2005.
Dr. Coyne is a board certified family practice physician and a California native. He completed his undergraduate degree at UCLA before earning his medical degree at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Dr Coyne spent 6 years in the US Air Force at Andrews and Luke Air Force bases, eventually separating as a Major. He enjoys working with patients of all ages.”
Dr. Jay Friehling is a Family Practice physician who has worked in Orange County since 1981. Born in Florida, he received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and then earned a Medical Degree at the New York Medical College.” His healthcare interests include Diabetes, Geriatric Care, and Hospice Care.
Dr. Jennifer Shoquist is board certified in Family Medicine. Her special interest is woman’s health and her practice accepts patients from 6 years old to seniors. Dr. Shoquist received her M.D. degree at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston in Houston, Texas, and did her residency with Memorial Family Practice at memorial Southwest Hospital in Houston, Texas.
Dr. Tom is a board certified family medicine physician and native Californian. He received his bachelors of science with great distinction in biochemistry and honors in chemistry. Dr. Tom was awarded a Regents Scholarship to attend medical school at UC Irvine.
Dr. Yan attended Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her Family Practice residency at Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, California. She joined Family Care Center in 2001. She chose Family Practice because she enjoys working with a wide variety of people and because it provides a unique opportunity for continuing care.
