COPD:  Control Your Breathing

Knowing how to control your breathing will help you to remain calm when you are short of breath. Pursed-lip breathing and diaphragmatic breathing will both help if you have COPD. These breathing methods prevent or reduce the trapped air in your lungs, and allow you to inhale more fresh air.

Pursed Lip Breathing

Use pursed lip breathing to help control a panic attack or whenever you are active

  • breathe in slowly through your nose for 2 count
  • purse (pucker) your lips as if you were going to whistle
  • breathe out gently through pursed lips for 4 slow counts (exhale twice as slowly as you inhale) - let the air escape naturally and don't force the air out of your lungs
  • keep doing pursed lip breathing until you are no longer short of breath

 breathe in slowly thru nose


breathe out even slower thru "pursed" lips

Diaphragmatic Breathing
  • put one hand on your upper chest, and the other on your abdomen just above your waist
  • breathe in slowly through your nose - you should be able to feel the hand on your abdomen moving out (the hand on your chest shouldn't move)
  • breathe out slowly through your pursed lips - you should be able to feel the hand on your abdomen moving in as you exhale

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