6 Simple Steps to Keep Your Lungs Healthy for Life

June 2, 2024

by Cathe Friedrich

Have you ever stopped to marvel at the movements of your lungs and appreciate how remarkable they are and how well they carry out their task? This simple but vital organ works tirelessly to deliver the oxygen and nutrients your tissues need 24-7. Despite how important healthy lung tissue is, we often take our lungs for granted, at least until we experience breathing problems or develop a lung condition that makes it harder to breathe.

Don’t wait until they fail to do their job! Be proactive and protect them now while they’re still working well for you. Sometimes, we focus so much on heart health or brain health that our lungs don’t get the preventative care they deserve. Let’s look at why protecting your lungs matters and see how to safeguard these vital organs.

Understanding the Importance of Lung Health

To say your lungs are important is an understatement. Their job is to ensure the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide – oxygen goes in with each breath and you release carbon dioxide when you breathe out. Plus, they play a protective role, by filtering out harmful particles and microorganisms from the air you breathe. This surveillance helps protect you from respiratory infections and other lung-related diseases.

But your lungs need monitoring and protection too. They’re bombarded daily with the harmful effects of indoor and outdoor air pollution. With the increasing frequency of wildfires, we breathe in more PM2.5, tiny particles in the air created by combustion. These particles are so tiny that they get into the deepest part of your lungs and enter your blood stream through tiny vessels in your lower airways. Over time, you can develop lung and blood vessel inflammation from being exposed to these minute particles.

Plus, some people damage their lungs with cigarette smoke and other harmful substances. When you expose your lungs to harm through pollution or lifestyle habits, like smoking, it raises your risk for chronic health problems, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, lung cancer, and respiratory infections. These conditions not only reduce quality of life, but they can be life-threatening and even fatal. Ask anyone who has end-stage COPD, and they’ll tell you it’s exceedingly difficult to breathe.

Ways to Protect Your Lungs

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to protect your lungs from future damage, so you can breathe easier.

Quit Smoking and Avoid Secondhand Smoke

Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer and COPD. Despite this, around 15% of the population still smokes. And the problem isn’t just the nicotine in cigarettes. Would you believe that cigarette smoke has over 7,000 chemicals? Of those, around sixty-nine cause cancer, based on research. Avoid exposing your lungs or the smaller lungs of your children to secondhand smoke too. Children have smaller lungs and more arrow airways, so secondhand smoke is riskier for them.

Exercise Regularly

Regular physical activity can strengthen your lungs and improve lung capacity, not to mention the benefits it has for your heart. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise, such as brisk walking or cycling, most days of the week. Exercise strengthens the diaphragm and the muscles between the ribs. This can improve your lung capacity, so you breathe more efficiently. Exercise also has anti-inflammatory effects and helps clear mucous from your lungs, as your breathing rate rises during a workout.

Improve Your Indoor Air Quality

While outdoor air is more polluted than ever, indoor air quality is an even bigger concern. Research shows indoor pollutants are 2 to 5 times higher than what you experience outdoors in most areas. Plus, we spend more time indoors, where we breathe in unhealthy substances such as:

Combustion sources from fireplaces, cigarette smoke, and gas stoves.
Building materials and furnishings (asbestos, formaldehyde, VOCs from pressed wood products)
Household products (cleaning supplies, air fresheners, pesticides)
Biological contaminants (mold, bacteria, dust mites, pet dander)
Radon seeping in from the ground.
Outdoor pollutants entering through ventilation.

Think about investing in an air purifier to reduce the pollutants you’re exposed to at home.

Avoid Exposure to Outdoor Air Pollution

Air pollution can exacerbate trigger or worsen lung conditions and increase the risk of developing new ones. Plus, air pollution, including fine particle pollution and ozone, are a leading cause of heart disease and stroke. You can find various sites online that can tell you the air quality in your area daily. All you need to do is type in your zip code. Limit outdoor activities on days with high pollution levels. Be especially mindful in the summer when wildfires are more common.

Certain people are more susceptible to the effects of air pollution:

Children, because their lungs are still developing. Plus, they breathe in more air relative to their size.
Older adults, due to normal age-related declines in lung function. Old adults are more likely to have chronic health conditions that air pollution worsens.
People with pre-existing lung diseases like asthma and COPD.
Communities of color and lower-income neighborhoods, often due to proximity to pollution sources.

Eat a Healthy Diet

A whole, unprocessed diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins supplies the nutrients your lungs need to stay healthy. These foods are naturally high in antioxidants that help fight oxidative damage that happens when you breathe polluted air.

Check Your Home for Radon

Up to half of all homes in the United States have radon levels that exceed safety standards. Plus, most people who live in these homes are blissfully unaware of it. Radon is an odorless, tasteless, colorless, radioactive gas that seeps in through cracks in the foundation of your home, like a stealth invader. It’s also the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking.

According to scientists, radon accounts for about 40% of the radiation that people are exposed to. It’s also the main source of natural radiation. Fortunately, if you have a high radon level, you don’t have to breathe in radioactivity. You can install a mitigation system to reduce radon levels and protect your family. You can get a home radon test kit or ask a radon professional to test your home for radon. It’s worth the time and effort!

Conclusion

Your lungs deserve the same care and respect that you, hopefully, give to your heart, brain, and other organs. Here’s hoping the air you breathe is clean. If not, make it a little cleaner by installing an indoor air filter. If you have asthma or other respiratory conditions, there’s even more incentive to do so. Remember, it’s never too late to start prioritizing your lung health – your lungs will thank you for it.

References:

Lungs and Breathing: MedlinePlus. Medlineplus.gov. Published 2019. Accessed May 1, 2024. https://medlineplus.gov/lungsandbreathing.html
American Lung Association. Lung Health Cohort Study. Lung.org. Published 2024. Accessed May 1, 2024. https://www.lung.org/research/lung-health-cohort-study
Cincinelli A, Martellini T. Indoor Air Quality and Health. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017 Oct 25;14(11):1286. doi: 10.3390/ijerph14111286. PMID: 29068361; PMCID: PMC5707925.
“Health Risk of Radon | US EPA – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.” 27 Feb. 2024, https://www.epa.gov/radon/health-risk-radon.
Grzywa-Celińska A, Krusiński A, Mazur J, Szewczyk K, Kozak K. Radon-The Element of Risk. The Impact of Radon Exposure on Human Health. Toxics. 2020 Dec 14;8(4):120. doi: 10.3390/toxics8040120. PMID: 33327615; PMCID: PMC7765099.