Lungs are vital organs in the human respiratory system that can be severely damaged by smoking, yet many people smoke regularly and harm their lungs' natural abilities.
Our lungs play a key role in supplying the body with oxygen and excreting carbon dioxide. However, smoking may not be the only thing affecting your lungs -- it can also be affected by the lifestyle you follow and the air you breathe. The air in the environment can also be contaminated and full of pollutants, secondhand smoke and pollen that directly attack our lungs. Due to this, it's important for us to keep our lungs healthy and clean.
In this blog, we will tell you how you can clean your lungs if you are or used to be a smoker by following healthy habits and making lifestyle changes. Additionally, we also have listed some lung exercises for smokers to improve their lung function.
Table of Contents
- Exercises For Smokers & Elderly To Improve Lung Function
- How To Strengthen The Lungs Of A Smoker?
- What Is The Fastest Way To Clean Your Lungs From Smoking?
- Expert’s Advice
- The Final Say
- FAQs
- References
Breathing Exercises For Smokers To Improve Lung Function
How do you strengthen your lungs as a smoker? Here are some breathing exercises that can help smokers maintain healthy lungs and improve overall health:
1. Complete Breathing | Complete breathing, also known as three-part breathing, involves using the diaphragm, lower ribcage, and upper chest for deep and full breaths. Here's how to do it:
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2. Breathing With Puckered Lips | This technique helps slow down breathing and improves lung function. Here's how to do it:
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3. Humming Breathing | Humming breathing involves exhaling while making a humming sound. It helps calm the mind and improve lung capacity. Here's how to do it:
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4. Diaphragmatic Breathing | Diaphragmatic breathing, or belly breathing, focuses on engaging the diaphragm for deeper, more efficient breathing. Here's how to do it:
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5. Buteyko Breathing | Buteyko breathing is a technique that focuses on shallow, controlled breathing to improve oxygen efficiency, especially for those with asthma or anxiety. Here's how to do it:
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Also Read: Struggling to Breathe? Check Out These 7 Effective Acupressure Points for Breathing Difficulties
How To Strengthen The Lungs Of A Smoker?
Smoking severely damages your lungs and overall health, with harmful substances continuously affecting your respiratory system. While quitting is the best solution, it's crucial to take steps to care for and cleanse your lungs as you work on breaking the habit.
- Quit Smoking Permanently: This goes without saying, but we had to add this to the list. The first and most important way to keep your lungs healthy is to quit smoking permanently. If you smoke, your lungs have a critical impact that can reduce their ability to stay healthy. So try to reduce or completely stop smoking and take care of your lung health.
Also Read: The Truth About Smoking: Does It Cause Weight Loss? 4 Tips To Quit Smoking
- Spend Time in Clean Air: You should start spending time in clean, fresh air to help your lungs recover by promoting better oxygen intake and reducing exposure to pollutants. Regularly being outdoors in nature can assist in flushing out toxins and improving lung function.
- Eat Fresh Fruits & Vegetables: Diet is vital for one's health, no matter what. Fruits and vegetables are full of essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals and natural antioxidants that keep the lungs healthy. Include fresh foods like tomatoes, lemons, carrots, mangoes, oranges, cabbage, spinach, broccoli, garlic, etc., in your diet to help clear the windpipe and help maintain lung health.
- Drink Plenty of Water: Water is even more important than diet, and yet many of us ignore our daily intake. If you meet the required water intake (2-3 litres), you can flush impurities from the surface of the body and help cleanse the lungs by humidifying harmful gases.
- Exercise Regularly: Staying physically active can help keep your lungs healthy and active. Exercise delivers more oxygen to the body's organs, which can increase lung capacity and help keep airways clear. Yoga, meditation, slow running, breathing exercises, cardio and strength training are options that can help with lung health. Better yet, do outdoor workouts!
- Lung Exercises: Apart from your regular physical exercises, we also have breathing and exhalation techniques to keep your lungs clear. We have shared some of these in the next section! You can also do yoga asanas for the lungs.
Also Read: 8 Steps to Help You Develop Consistency in Workouts: Learn the Benefits and Navigate the Challenges!
- Use Ginger: Ginger has antioxidant properties that can help with lung health by cleansing it. You can make ginger tea or drink ginger mixed with fresh lemon juice. It is a powerful medicine for the lungs.
- Eat Herbal Plants: Consuming green herbal plant leaves like basil, mint, and neem can help keep the lungs clean and healthy. They are rich in antioxidants and can be added to your daily diet by adding them to salads, tea or muskmelon.
Also Read: Detox And Clean Your Lungs With These 5 Yoga Asanas And Pranayama!
What Is The Fastest Way To Clean Your Lungs From Smoking?
The fastest way to clean your lungs from smoking:
1. Deep Breathing
Breathing exercises (like those shared above) help relieve stress, cleanse the lungs, and improve health by allowing your body to eliminate toxins efficiently. If you do proper deep belly breathing exercises, you may be able to remove up to 70% of toxins and support lung health.
2. Steam Therapy
Steam inhalation or steam therapy is a simple and natural method to help clean your lungs. By breathing in warm, moist air, you can clear congestion, loosen mucus, and improve breathing. Apart from that, it also reduces inflammation, relaxes muscles, and boosts blood flow to promote overall lung health.
Also Read: 8 Unknown Health Benefits of Steam Baths: Weight Loss, Detox, Skin Care, and More
3. Drain Mucus
Draining mucus by postural drainage is a natural way to clear mucus from the lungs. You can do this by lying on your chest or back with the hips elevated to drain the mucus and improve lung function.
4. Tapping
Tapping, especially when done alongside postural drainage, can help loosen mucus in your lungs. You can do this by cupping your hands and gently tapping your chest in a rhythmic motion for 2-3 minutes, which can help break up mucus and remove it from your body, supporting lung detoxification and cleansing.
Also Read: Why Is Cardiorespiratory Fitness Important? Know Top 8 Easy To Do Exercises!
5. Drink Lots of Water
As mentioned before, drinking water is essential as it helps flush out toxins, including those from smoking. Hot tea or warm water can further thin mucus in the lungs, making it easier to clear and aiding in detoxification.
6. Eat Healthy Foods
Another point we’d like to repeat is: eat healthy foods! Whole, single-ingredient foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fish are nutrient-rich and aid in flushing toxins, repairing cells, and promoting healthy tissue growth.
7. Annual Checkups & Vaccinations
Regular checkups should be done to help catch potential issues early, especially for lung disease, which can go unnoticed until advanced. Always report any breathing concerns to your doctor. Other than that, keep up-to-date on your vaccinations for infectious respiratory diseases like influenza, COVID-19, pneumonia, and RSV, which can spread easily.
8. Use Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a powerful herb for lung health, known for its compound cineole. It helps treat coughs, asthma, bronchitis, and congestion while reducing inflammation and boosting the immune system to cleanse the lungs.
Also Read: Strength Training Vs. Cardio: Which Is More Effective?
Expert’s Advice
Consistently maintaining a healthy lifestyle and following the tips that were shared in this blog can keep your lungs in top shape.
As an expert, I recommend eating antioxidant-rich foods like fresh fruits, green veggies, and whole grains to fight inflammation. Additionally, drinking warm liquids like herbal teas, honey lemon water, or chicken broth can help loosen mucus, hydrate the lungs, and make it easier to clear out.
Health Expert
Lavina Chauhan
The Final Say
Quitting smoking is one of the most important decisions you will ever make, especially if you do it regularly. The lungs are self-cleaning organs that begin to heal themselves once they are no longer exposed to pollutants such as cigarette smoke. The best way to keep your lungs healthy is to avoid smoking. To clear your lungs, you should exercise regularly and eat well.
FAQs
1. Does exercise clear smokers' lungs?
While exercise can certainly help improve lung function and promote mucus clearance, it doesn't fully "clear" a smoker's lungs.
2. What dissolves mucus in the lungs?
Warm fluids, such as water, herbal teas, and steam inhalation, can help dissolve mucus in the lungs.
References
- https://www.kendalathome.org/blog/breathe-easy-six-breath-exercises-for-older-adults
- https://www.truemeds.in/blog/home-remedies-for-lungs-cleaning-detox
- https://www.lompocvmc.com/blogs/2021/september/how-long-does-it-take-the-lungs-to-heal-after-qu/
- https://www.lung.org/blog/can-you-detox-your-lungs
- https://www.herminahospitals.com/en/articles/10-cara-mudah-membersihkan-paru-secara-alami.html
- https://zeenews.india.com/hindi/zee-hindustan/utility-news/home-remedies10-ways-to-cleanse-lungs-for-smokers-will-make-healthy-again/1657484
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