You Need a Breath of Fresh Air! How to Keep Your Lungs Healthy Naturally

The role that our lungs play in our daily life cannot be overemphasized. Inhaling oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide seems like a simple job, but our lungs do it tirelessly every day without fail. If we add to that all of the air pollution we encounter in our environment, we can see how stressed our lungs often are. This is why it is important to take care of it from pollutants. Read on for tips on how to keep your lungs healthy naturally.

What does air pollution do to our lungs?

Air pollution, especially in cities, is made up of particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide. Any level of exposure may lead to adverse health effects.

Long-term exposure to air pollution can result in:

• Respiratory problems
• Cardiovascular problems 
• Lung cancer

Following this, it is important to avoid or minimize exposure to air pollution.

How to keep your lungs healthy naturally: Avoid air pollution

• Wear a mask when going out. If you live in a big city, the chances of air pollution are higher due to industries running on fuel such as transportation (cars, buses) and businesses (factories, trucks). Wearing a mask can help filter out some of the larger pollutants that you may inhale.
• Check pollution levels in your area if available, and try to plan your outside activities accordingly. Staying in an indoor space with adequate ventilation is still the best option to keep yourself healthy if you live in a high-pollution neighborhood.
• Part of keeping your lungs healthy naturally is getting enough exercise. If you do mostly outdoor exercise, find an open space with good environmental air. You can also try switching to some easy exercises that can be done at home, such as zumba or cardio. This will not only help in avoiding the pollution outside, it is also great for when it rains and you really can’t go on that morning run!
• When going out to exercise or for other outdoor activities, remember to avoid going near highways. Emissions from cars can be carried by the wind into nearby areas. If you live near a highway or major road, it is best to have a well-ventilated home so that pollutants do not stay long in the space. If possible, have an air filter or purifier to help clean the air.

How to keep your lungs healthy naturally: Become energy efficient

• Use less energy in your home. Most of our electricity still comes from burning coal and other fossil fuels, and this process releases pollutants into the air. Unplugging appliances when not in use is not just one of the ways of how to how to keep your lungs healthy naturally. It also helps you save on the electricity bill!
• Combine multiple trips or errands when you can. This not only reduces exposure to pollutants but is also more efficient in the new normal where exposure to illnesses like COVID-19 is more likely when you spend longer times outside and in poorly-ventilated indoor areas.
• Use your car less. Emissions from cars make up a major part of pollutants in cities so using transportation more effectively also helps in reducing the level of pollution we make. Going to a nearby store? Bike or walk there (with a mask on). Traveling to the same party with friends? Try carpooling. Being more conscious about our personal emissions helps reduce our overall pollutant footprint and contributes to keeping your lungs healthy naturally.

How to keep your lungs healthy naturally: Say no to smoking

• Do not smoke, especially in closed spaces. The pollutants from cigarette smoke stay in the air and on fabric such as clothes, bed covers, and curtains long after the cigarette is finished. Encourage everyone in the household not to smoke, or to do it in a designated well-ventilated area outside the home.
• Stop burning trash and other items. Soot and other particles from burned things also contribute to the harmful substances in the air around you. This seemingly small change can help keep your lungs healthy naturally.

How to keep your lungs healthy naturally: Push for clean air

• Get involved in organizations or programs in your area that pushes for clean air. These groups get involved with problems specific to your community and confront bigger entities that cause air pollution. They often engage in activities to help clean the air and provide suggestions on how to keep your lungs healthy naturally.
• The last tip is to encourage your friends to start doing these small steps too! Remember, small good things pile up into larger stacks of good. The more people involved in projects that aim for cleaner air, the better – not only for our benefit as humans but also for the planet.

Key Takeaway

In the course of doing its job of providing oxygen to the rest of the body, the lungs encounter different pollutants in the environment. We can all make small and big changes in our lifestyle to keep not only ourselves but the people around us healthy with cleaner air. Finally, it is wise to remember that the lungs can only endure so much before the damage becomes irreversible. So it is best to start making these changes to keep your lungs healthy naturally now.

Learn more about Other Respiratory Issues here.