Prevent breathing breakdowns
The statistics on lung disease are sobering. Between genetics, air pollution, cleaning solutions, smoking, sitting and sleep disorders, our delicate lungs are under constant siege. Some risk factors may be unavoidable, but a bit of basic knowledge and prevention can help thwart these threats to our health and well-breathing.
Tips and techniques to keep your airways in peak condition
Stop smoking
Smoking damages your lungs and increases your risk for a number of diseases including lung cancer and COPD. This is because combustion of materials releases toxins and carcinogens into your lungs. If you have never smoked, don't start. If you are still smoking, it’s never too late to quit. Learn more about how to quit including the many effective medications and smoking cessation programs that work.
Teach kids that smoking stinks
Make sure kids understand the dangers of smoking and be a role model by not smoking or by committing to quit.
Avoid second-hand and third-hand smoke
Breathing the smoke from cigarettes and pipes boosts your risk for the same diseases that affect people who smoke. Don't allow smoking in your home, in the car or at work. Also stay away from third-hand smoke—residual tobacco fumes that adhere to walls and furniture that can, along with indoor pollutants, form lung-damaging compounds. Clean your carpets. Paint the walls with low VOC paints. Rent smoke-free hotel rooms.
Wash or sanitize your hands
Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer or wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water several times a day. This will help keep germs at bay and help you avoid most of the common infectious diseases that are spread by hand. Learn expert handwashing.
Cover your coughs
To help stop the spread of germs, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or cough or sneeze into your elbow. Stay away from crowds during peak cold and flu season, get plenty of rest, eat well and keep your stress levels under control.
Convert your fireplace
The particulate matter from burning wood and waste can seriously damage your lungs. If possible, switch to a cleaner burning gas or wood stove or put in an electronic fireplace or gas insert.
Keep your house clean
Air fresheners, mould, pet dander and construction materials all pose a potential problem. Turn on the exhaust fan when you cook and avoid using aerosol products like hair spray. Change your furnace air filter seasonally. Learn about indoor air pollution and what you can do to reduce your exposure.
Check your home for radon
Radon gas is a naturally occurring radioactive gas produced by the breakdown of uranium in the ground. It is a hidden killer and the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Find out if there are high levels of radon in your home or workplace. It may be leaking into the house through cracks in the foundation and walls.
Wear a mask
Canadian workers may be exposed to an excessive amount of dust, fumes, smoke, gases, vapors or mists in the workplace. Poor ventilation, closed-in working areas and heat increase are also disease-causing culprits. Avoid breathing in toxic fumes from chemicals, solvents or paints. Wear protective masks when you work with chemicals and report unsafe working conditions. Take advantage of lung screening and other health programs offered at work.
Talk to your doctor
See your doctor if you experience shortness of breath, pain when breathing, dizziness with a change of activity, a persistent cough, wheezing or coughing with exercise or pain in the airway. If you have a chronic lung disease like asthma or COPD, work with your doctor to manage symptoms and flare-ups.
Take the stairs
Do something active for 30 minutes each day to lighten the load on your lungs and increase the efficiency of oxygen transportation and metabolism. Walk around the building, bike around your neighborhood, or even run in place for a bit.
Be aware of the air
People with lung diseases such as asthma or COPD need to pay particular attention to the levels of air pollution called particulates — tiny solid or liquid particles — in the environment and limit their outdoor exposure when levels are high. Learn more about particulates.
Don't idle
Do your part to curb noxious air and turn off the ignition if you’re waiting more than 10 seconds.
Get vaccinated
This is especially important if you have lung disease, though healthy people also benefit from getting vaccinated. If you have significant lung disease or are over 65, a pneumonia shot also is recommended.