Every year, millions of people die from lung disease. Poor lung health makes it harder to breathe, impairs your quality of life, and puts you at higher risk of dying from COVID-19 complications.
Your lifestyle plays a significant part in maintaining your lung health and preventing lung disease. Understanding the habits harming your lungs and making the right lifestyle changes could help you prevent lung disease and reduced lung functions.
Smoking/Vaping
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Your smoking and vaping habit could be setting you up for lung disease. Cigarette smoking is the largest risk factor for lung cancer, resulting in 90% (9 out of 10) deaths. Similarly, recent research has associated vaping with worsened lung function, shortness of breath, wheezing, and lung conditions such as bronchiolitis, vaping-related lipoid pneumonia, and collapsed lungs.
The best time to quit smoking and vaping is now. It’s never too late to stop smoking and allow your organs to recover from the damage. Eliminating a nicotine and tobacco dependency can be challenging, so it’s recommended to discuss with your primary care physician, identify what drives your cravings, create a quit plan, and review free resources and apps that help you stop the pattern.
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Poor Diet
Rethink trips to the drive-thru for fast and fried foods. Eating foods high in saturated fat — bacon, cheese, butter, ice cream, burgers, and beef is putting your lungs at risk, in addition to harming heart health and possibly shortening your life span. A 2017 study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that diets high in grease and unsaturated fat are associated with inflammation and lung cancer.
Saturated fat is naturally found in dairy, cheese, and fatty meats, such as lamb, beef, and pork. If you’re not sure where to start, consider downloading a free diet monitoring app to check the amount of saturated fat you’re consuming daily. Limit meat, sugary drinks, and processed foods by focusing on a diet high in seafood, fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts. If you have a pre-existing condition, speak with your nutritionist or doctor before altering your diet.
READ: 5 Veggies That Boost Lung Function
Not Cleaning Your Home
A dirty living or work area could be destroying your lungs. Regularly breathing in bacteria, fungus, mold, animal fur, and dust particles can scar your lungs and trigger inflammation, making it harder to breathe.
If you have carpeting, be sure to regularly vacuum and steam it because carpets and rugs hold in toxins, dust, roach droppings, and mold. Also, dirty and clogged air filters can house mold, bacteria, and mildew, which has the risk of irritating your lungs and leading to lung disease.
If you’re struggling to find time to clean, try creating a cleaning schedule for weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly cleaning. If you’re too busy or lack the motivation, but have spare funds, consider hiring a cleaning service.
Physically Inactivate Lifestyle
A lifetime of low physical activity levels is a risk factor for lung disease. If you’re spending most of your days sitting in front of a tv or at a desk for work, it’s important to adopt a regular exercise plan. Exercise has an anti-inflammatory effect and is associated with reduced upper respiratory infections.
A regular exercise schedule will help improve your overall health, but it’s not the only way to boost your physical activity levels. Subtle lifestyle changes such as skipping the elevator, standing desks at work, and parking farther away from the store can make a significant impact in raising your daily movement. Another simple yet fun way to get moving is to consider starting an active hobby, such as gardening, photography, and hiking.
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Not drinking enough water
Constant dehydration can impair your airway functions, making it harder to breathe and increasing your risk for chronic bronchitis. If you work out regularly, you should be especially mindful of your water intake because working out while dehydrated can trigger exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Ensure you’re drinking enough water throughout the day. This helps maintain lung functions, as well as the health of other organs in your body, including your kidney, heart, and skin.
Take calculated steps to stay hydrated, especially while working out. Drink a glass of water with each meal and eat fruits and vegetables high in water. Avoid substituting water with sugary and caffeinated drinks. If you prefer a sweeter taste to your water, opt for unsweetened sparkling water or add hints of lemons or cucumbers to refine the taste.
READ: The Link Between Certain Cancers, Diets & Exercise
Exercising during bad air quality days
Low-quality air days are when smog, pollen count, smoke, and other pollutants are concentrated in the air. Prolonged periods outside and working out outdoors on high-pollution days can contribute to the development of lung disease.
Use your phone’s weather app to check the Air Quality Index and identify days with high pollution counts. If you’re forgetful, consider setting up an alert notification. Avoid prolonged periods outdoors, working out during these days. Also, if you have children, it’s best to keep them indoors as the effects of air pollution can be particularly damaging on their lung development.
