Worst Habits for Lung Health

What you need to know to keep these essential organs in good working order.

Take a deep breath in and exhale slowly. Let it out softly now. We do this easy behavior all day long and rarely think about it. Our lives, however, are in jeopardy. Every cell exchanges oxygen for carbon dioxide, exhaled by the lungs. This oxygen is taken in by your lungs, which then transport it into your circulation. Every cell swaps oxygen for carbon dioxide, which your bloodstream transports to your lungs and exhales. Lung health was discussed with Yale Medicine specialists ranging from allergy and immunology to obesity medicine.

1. Why Should You Be Concerned About Your Lungs?

Even if you learned all of this in high school biology class, you probably haven't given your lungs much thought—at least not until you've had to. Many of us focus on respiratory health during COVID-19, but illnesses like the typical cold, seasonal allergies, and asthma irritate these susceptible organs.

Obesity and stress may hurt your lungs more than smoking, pollution, and viruses.

"The health of our lungs affects the health of all of our other organs and organ systems, including our brain, circulation, gut, immune function, and musculoskeletal system," explains Yale Medicine pulmonary, critical care, and addiction medicine specialist Stephen Baldassarri, MD, MHS. "The environment affects our lungs and airways. We inhale what is in our environment with every breath. In addition, we should preferably only breathe clean air."

2. The Effects of Obesity on Your Lungs

Fat or overweight persons feel out of breath quickly when climbing stairs or undertaking other physical activities.

"How fat affects lung volume is a crucial element of obesity," says Jorge Moreno, MD, a Yale Medicine obesity medicine specialist. Obese people may have trouble getting a full breath or volume into their lungs, causing breathing problems.

Extra abdominal fat hinders the diaphragm from breathing and expanding the lungs. Obese people typically have a reduced lung volume, which causes dyspnea, according to Dr. Moreno.

Hormonal considerations play a role in both men's and women's health. Fat cells emit hormones as fat accumulates beneath the skin. According to Dr. Moreno, these hormones can promote inflammation throughout the body, especially in the lungs.

Many COVID-19 patients experienced severe lung irritation early on. Obesity surfaced as a leading risk factor for severe illness from COVID-19, which came as no surprise to doctors like Dr. Moreno.

"COVID is divided into two stages. The first involves cold-like symptoms, which are common and usually go away independently, "According to Dr. Moreno. "Inflammation damages the lungs, heart, and other organs. This is what resulted in serious illness and death."

Obesity is a "pro-inflammatory state," according to Dr. Moreno. When you add the virus's effects on top of that, the theory is that inflammation gets even worse, he says.

Even those who avoided getting sick from COVID, the epidemic posed difficulties. Working from home, being connected to a computer for most of the day, and putting in longer hours, for example, might make it challenging to eat and exercise.

"Try organizing your meals. We can be more flexible when at home, but that may mean munching on whatever's in the fridge." Dr. Moreno has some advice for you. Instead, focus on your food. This is likewise true with alcohol."

Daily exercise and a diet rich in whole foods, vegetables, fruits, high fiber, and plant-based protein are recommended by Dr. Baldassarri. Every day, he recommends 20 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise. That's not enough. However, even a few minutes each day, any activity is preferable to none. A good diet and regular exercise benefit lung and overall health."

3. The Effects of Stress on the Lungs

When you are stressed, your body produces substances such as adrenaline and cortisol, which promote rapid breathing. If your lungs are healthy, it's safe. The lungs can't move as much air in and out as they should in persons with chronic lung disorders like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or asthma. This causes shortness of breath and anxiousness.

Increased hunger is one of the side effects of increased cortisol secretion. Stress might also make smokers need more cigarettes, according to Dr. Baldassarri.

"During the outbreak, cigarette and alcohol sales soared." Dr. Baldassarri explains. "These patterns certainly reflect our stress. Stress impacts our entire body and is a major predictor of our health."

According to Dr. Baldassarri, the most significant thing for lung health is to live a healthy lifestyle that includes eating well, exercising, not smoking or vaping, and decreasing stress as much as possible. "Enough sleep and daily meditation and breathing exercises can reduce stress," he explains. Spend time with high-energy family and friends.

4. The Effects of Air Quality on Your Lungs

Lung infections, malignancies, and other illnesses, including asthma, can be caused or worsened by indoor and outdoor pollutants.

Chemicals, radon, asbestos, construction and paint products, carbon monoxide, carpets (which can trap pollutants and allergens like dust mites, pet dander, and mildew), lead, and water damage are some of the things that can make the air around us unhealthy in the home and workplace.

Outdoor air pollutants—from car pollution to power plants to forest fires—may be challenging to manage. Still, it's crucial to remember that they can cause asthma attacks, make people unwell, and harm how children's lungs grow.

To decide when to avoid spending too much time outside, check your local air quality index, which records ozone (smog) and particle pollution (from ash, power plants and factories, car exhaust, soil dust, and pollen) and other ubiquitous pollutants. The index is color-coded, green representing "excellent" air quality and purple describing "extremely unhealthy" air pollution.

The local air quality index is reported by various media channels, including websites, newspapers, television, and radio stations, and you can also look up your region on airnow.gov. Because deep, quick breaths during exercise enhance pollution's effects on the body, it's important to avoid exercising in dirty air. Practice should also be avoided near high-traffic areas, especially when there is poor air quality.

According to Jason Kwah, MD, a Yale Medicine allergist and immunologist, people with asthma are susceptible to poor air quality. "Asthma is more common in cities and near roadways," he says.

5. The Effects of Infections on Your Lungs

The lungs can be harmed by infectious respiratory disorders such as the flu, COVID-19, pneumonia, pertussis (whooping cough), RSV, and the common cold. This is particularly dangerous because these illnesses are easily transmitted from person to person.

Although most lung infections are treatable, they can be harmful to infants, the elderly, and those with lung disease or a weaker immune system. Except for RSV and the common cold, many common infections that damage the lungs can be prevented with immunizations.

According to Geoffrey Chupp, MD, head of the Yale Center for Asthma and Airway Disease, one silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic is how it has highlighted the significance of vaccination in general.

"Thanks to COVID, we know how lung viruses damage the lungs and how vaccination can prevent them," he says. "Vaccination has become a dinner table conversation, which is good. Due to increased public awareness, people will be more aware of lung health in the long run."