Asthma is a condition that can strike at any moment, leaving you gasping for breath and in a panic. While you may be on a prescription inhaler to manage your asthma, there may be occasions where you can't or don't want to use it when you feel oncoming asthma symptoms. In these situations, simple breathing exercises may help you restore normal breathing.
Reduced Breathing Exercise
The reduced breathing exercise helps reduce the panic you feel during a normal asthma attack, and helps restore normal breathing function. To do the reduced breathing exercise, sit upright in a sturdy chair with your hands in your lap and your feet flat on the floor. Close your eyes or look up at the ceiling to focus and avoid distractions around you. Relax your chest and stomach. Focus on taking short, shallow breaths through your nose with your mouth close. Focus on these short breaths until your body is able to breathe normally on its own without any conscious effort on your part. You should notice normal breathing restored within 3 to 5 minutes.
Physical Movement Exercise
Physical movement exercises put your body in the idea position to allow air to flow through your lungs in the event of an oncoming asthma attack. To do the physical movement exercises, sit in a hard-back chair with your feet flat on the floor and your back straight. Lift your arms up in front of your chest with your palms down. Rotate your body slowly to the left as you breathe slowly in through your nose. Focus on the sensation of air filling your lungs. Rotate your body back to the front as you exhale through your nose. Repeat this process, rotating to the left and to the right as you breathe in and out slowly through your nose.
Complete Diaphragmatic Exhalation Exercise
With asthma, the inability to fully exhale makes breathing more difficult. In order to help relieve your symptoms, the diaphragmatic exercise helps push excess air out of your lungs to help you breathe. To do this exercise, lie on your back with your arms to your side. Relax your whole body and close your eyes. Purse your lips together and breathe out through your nose. Use your chest and stomach muscles to slowly breathe all the air out of your lungs. Once you feel you have pushed all the air out, pause for three to four seconds before slowly breathing in. Repeat this process four to five times until normal breathing is restored.
