As you grow older, your lungs, like the rest of your body, undergo changes. They develop during childhood and early adulthood, reaching full maturity around age 20 or 25. However, after the age of 35, there is a gradual decline in lung function.
Natural ageing processes, such as the loss of lung tissue elasticity, weakening of muscles, and changes in rib cage bones, can lead to a reduction in lung capacity, making breathing more challenging.
The role of your lungs in supplying oxygen to every cell remains crucial throughout your life. To maintain optimal lung health as you age, adopting healthy habits is essential. Here are some easy-to-follow tips:
Exercise Regularly to Strengthen Your Lungs
Engage in activities like biking, running, jumping rope, or walking to increase your heart rate and give your lungs a good workout. Incorporate weight-training exercises to strengthen core muscles, improve posture, and enhance diaphragm strength. The American Lung Association recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on 5 days per week.
Nourish Your Lungs with Nutritious Food
A well-balanced, nutritious diet provides energy, supports the body’s immune response, and contributes to lung health. While ongoing research is exploring the best foods for lung function, some studies suggest that diets rich in fibre, nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables, and low in processed foods promote better lung function over a lifetime.
Consuming healthy proteins twice a day can strengthen respiratory muscles, and evidence suggests that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids found in certain foods may ease breathing for individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Consider the following dietary tips as you age:
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- Include foods high in vitamin D, such as egg yolks, fatty fish, and fortified cereal and milk.
- Ensure an adequate intake of fibre from whole grains and raw vegetables.
- Embrace healthy fats from sources like olive oil, salmon, walnuts, and avocado.
- Limit the consumption of salt and “white foods” like potatoes, rice, and white bread.
Maintain a Healthy Weight for Lung Care
Taking care of your lungs includes keeping a healthy weight. As you age, being overweight or obese can pose challenges for your lungs. Excess weight can restrict the complete expansion of your lungs, and inflammation from weight gain may harm lung tissue, making your airways narrower. These combined effects accelerate the decline in lung function with age. If you’re overweight, even a modest weight loss (just half a pound per year) can significantly slow down the age-related decrease in lung function. Gradual and steady weight loss also improves the likelihood of maintaining a healthy weight over the long term.
Ensure Healthy Lungs through Dental Care
Your mouth serves as the entry point to both your respiratory and digestive systems. Naturally, it harbours bacteria, which are usually harmless. However, an unhealthy buildup of bacteria can lead to inflammation, gum disease, tooth decay, and other oral infections, impacting various parts of your body, including your lungs. Inhaling bacteria from your mouth can contribute to pneumonia and respiratory diseases. To maintain healthy teeth and gums and reduce harmful bacteria, follow the American Dental Association’s recommendations:
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- Brush your teeth for two minutes, twice a day, with fluoride toothpaste.
- Use floss, an interdental brush, or an oral irrigator daily for teeth cleaning.
- Limit the consumption of high-sugar foods and drinks.
- Regularly visit your dentist for prevention and treatment of oral diseases.
Strengthen Your Lungs with Deep Breathing
Similar to a workout, deep breathing exercises can enhance your diaphragm and increase lung capacity. As you age and your diaphragm weaken, your body may rely on chest, neck, and back muscles to assist with exhaling, which can be incomplete and trap stale air in your lungs, leading to reduced oxygen levels. Spending 5 to 10 minutes daily on deep breathing exercises can fortify your diaphragm, expel stale air from your lungs, and elevate oxygen levels. The American Lung Association recommends two efficient breathing exercises:
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- Pursed Lip Breathing: Inhale through your nose for 2 counts, then exhale slowly for 4 counts by pursing your lips, as if whistling, aiming to release all air from your lungs.
- Diaphragmatic (Belly) Breathing: Sit or lie down, lightly place your hands on your stomach, relax your neck and shoulders, inhale through your nose, focusing on your belly filling with air, and exhale for at least twice the duration of your inhalation.
Keep an Eye on Your Lung Health
To maintain your lung health as you age, regular checkups with your healthcare provider are crucial. These checkups help monitor your lung function over time, identify early signs of lung disease, and manage existing conditions like asthma. While a gradual decline in lung capacity is natural with age, persistent shortness of breath or early warning signs such as chronic cough, wheezing, chest pain, coughing up blood, or difficulty keeping up with peers should prompt a discussion with your healthcare provider.
Safeguard Your Lungs by Quitting Smoking
Smoking introduces over 7,000 chemicals, including 69 known carcinogens, into your lungs, increasing the risk of lung cancer, COPD, and other lung diseases. Quitting smoking is the most effective way to maintain lung health. Within minutes of quitting, your heart rate and blood pressure start to drop, and over time, your breathing improves. The risk of various diseases associated with smoking significantly decreases when you lead a smoke-free life.
Regardless of age or smoking duration, multiple attempts may be needed to quit, but counselling and medication can enhance success. Free resources, like Clear Horizons, a Quit-Smoking Guide for People 50 and Older, are available on Smokefree.gov, and local health departments may offer additional cessation services.
Ease Your Lungs’ Job by Avoiding Air Pollution
As you age, your lungs struggle to clear foreign particles, making them more vulnerable to damage from pollutants. Reduced sensitivity of nerves in your airways allows more particles to enter your respiratory system, leading to potential lung tissue damage. Minimize exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution by:
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- Checking the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Airnow.gov and staying indoors on days with poor air quality.
- Keeping doors and windows shut during high outdoor air pollution days.
- Using an N-95 face mask outdoors on days with poor air quality.
- Improving ventilation at home on good air quality days by using fans and opening windows.
- Choosing low- or no-VOC cleaning products (refer to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safer Choice Standard and the Environmental Working Group’s Verified database).
- Maintaining indoor humidity between 30 and 50% with a dehumidifier to prevent mould growth.
- Using an air purifier to remove pollutants from indoor air.
Final thought
In the journey of ageing, prioritizing lung health is a key component of overall well-being. Regular exercise, a nutritious diet, monitoring lung function, quitting smoking, and minimizing exposure to air pollution are proactive steps toward maintaining robust respiratory function.
Remember, it’s never too late to start adopting healthy habits for your lungs. As you embark on this path, may your respiratory well-being flourish, contributing to a healthier and more vibrant life.