My Vedic Life

• Difficulty catching your breath.
• Noisy breathing.
• Very fast, shallow breaths.
• An increase in your pulse rate.
• Wheezing.
• Chest pain.
• Skin that looks pale and slightly blue, especially around your mouth.
• Cold, clammy skin.

• When people know what is causing their shortness of breath and it is not a medical emergency, they may want to try treating it at home.

The following exercises can help treat breathlessness at home:

1. Deep breathing:

Breathing in deeply through the abdomen can help someone manage their breathlessness. To do this at home, they should:

• Lie down, putting their hands on their abdomen.
• breathe in deeply through their nose, expanding their abdomen, and letting the lungs fill with air.
• hold their breath for a couple of seconds.
• breathe out slowly through the mouth, emptying their lungs.
• repeat this pattern for 5 to 10 minutes.

This exercise can be done several times a day, or as often as the individual experiences shortness of breath. It is best to keep breathing slowly and easily, and deeply rather than quickly.

2. Pursed-lip breathing:

• Another breathing exercise that can help to relieve shortness of breath is pursed-lip breathing.
• Pursed-lip breathing helps to reduce breathlessness by slowing the pace of a person’s breathing. This is particularly useful if shortness of breath is being caused by anxiety.

To try pursed-lip breathing at home, a person should:

• Sit upright in a chair with their shoulders relaxed
• Press their lips together, keeping a gap between them in the middle
• Inhale through their nose for a couple of seconds
• Gently exhale through their pursed lips for a count of four
• Carry on inhaling and exhaling in this way for 10 minutes

People can try this exercise any time they feel short of breath, and repeat it throughout the day until they feel better.

3. Finding a comfortable and supported position:

• Finding a comfortable and supported position to stand or lie in can help someone relax and catch their breath. If shortness of breath is being caused by anxiety or by over-exertion, this treatment is particularly helpful.

The following positions can relieve pressure on a person’s airways and improve their breathing:

• Sitting forwards in a chair, preferably with the head supported by a table.
• Leaning against a wall so the back is supported.
• Standing with the hands supported on a table, to take the weight off the feet.
• Lying down with the head and knees supported by pillows.

4. Using a fan:

• Using a handheld fan to blow air across the nose and face could reduce the sensation of breathlessness. Feeling the force of air while inhaling made it feel like more air is getting in. The treatment was found to be effective in reducing the sensation of breathlessness.
• Researchers did not find that the use of a fan actually improved symptoms when they were caused by an underlying condition, however.

5. Inhaling steam:

• Inhaling steam can help to keep a person’s nasal passages clear, which can help them breathe more easily. Heat and moisture from steam may also break down mucus in the lungs, which might also reduce breathlessness.

To try steam inhalation at home, a person should:

• Fill a bowl with very hot water
• Add a few drops of peppermint or eucalyptus essential oil
• Place their face over the bowl, with a towel over their head
• Take deep breaths, inhaling the steam

It is important to make sure that the water is left to cool slightly if it has just boiled. Otherwise, the steam could scald the skin.

6. Drinking black coffee:

• Share on PinterestCoffee may be used as a home remedy to help treat shortness of breath.
• Drinking black coffee may help to treat breathlessness, as the caffeine in it can reduce tiredness in the muscles in a person’s airway.
• However, it is important to remember that drinking too much coffee can increase a person’s heart rate. It is best to watch caffeine intake when trying this treatment, to make sure not too much is drunk.

7. Eating fresh ginger

• Eating fresh ginger, or adding some to hot water as a drink, may help reduce shortness of breath caused by a respiratory infection.

Mudra Therapy for Breathlessness:

• VAYU SHAAMAK MUDRA+ ASTHMA MUDRA