As physios, we know that breathing exercises and learning to breathe well after any respiratory illness is a vital part of making a full recovery.
We want to support those who may have had breathing issues after being ill with COVID and help you in your recovery.
We have included below some advice to help you improve your breathing technique, but please note that this is not a substitute for having a full assessment at CSPC, and if you are struggling on a day-to-day basis, you should see your GP.Â
Learning to breathe well is a great thing for all of us to do.
- Sit in a comfortable position (if you find this hard when sitting, trying lying down with your head supported on a pillow)
- Relax your neck and shoulders
- Place your hands softly on the sides of your lower ribs
- Breath slowly in through your nose and feel your lower ribs expand under your hands
- Hold the breath for a count of 3
- Slowly breathe out through your nose and feel your ribs deflate
- Do up to 10 sets of 3 breaths
- Repeat 2-3 times a day
- If you feel your shoulders lifting, try looking in the mirror to make sure your shoulders stay relaxed
- As you get more confident with your technique, try incorporating it into your exercises (squats, lunges, walking etc).
If you feel dizzy when doing the exercises, make sure you sit or lie safely to do them, and even reduce the number you do per set down to 2 breaths.
Focus on learning the correct technique before trying to increase the number of breaths
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