BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuHow to breathe when you are short of breathPursed lip breathing; COPD - pursed lip breathing; Emphysema - pursed lip breathing; Chronic bronchitis - pursed lip breathing; Pulmonary fibrosis - pursed lip breathing; Interstitial lung disease - pursed lip breathing; Hypoxia - pursed lip breathing; Chronic respiratory failure - pursed lip breathingWhen to use Pursed lip BreathingPursed lip breathing helps you use less energy to breathe. It can help you relax. When you are short of breath, it helps you slow the pace of your breathing and can help you feel less short of breath.Use pursed lip breathing when you do things that make you short of breath, such as when you:Exercise Bend Lift Climb stairs Feel anxiousYou can practice pursed lip breathing anytime. Try to practice 4 or 5 times a day when you:Watch TV Use your computer Read a newspaperHow to do Pursed lip BreathingThe steps to do pursed lip breathing are: Relax the muscles in your neck and shoulders. Sit in a comfortable chair with your feet on the floor. Inhale slowly through your nose for 2 counts. Feel your belly get larger as you breathe in. Pucker your lips, as if you were going to whistle or blow out a candle. Exhale slowly through your lips for 4 or more counts.Exhale normally. Do not force the air out. Do not hold your breath when you are doing pursed lip breathing. Repeat these steps until your breathing slows.Open ReferencesReferencesMinichiello VJ. Therapeutic breathing. In: Rakel D, Minichiello VJ, eds. Integrative Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 89.Rochester CL, Nici L. Pulmonary rehabilitation. In: Broaddus VC, Ernst JD, King TE, Lazarus SC, Sarmiento KF, Schnapp LM, Stapleton RD, eds. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 139.Schwartzstein RM, Adams L. Dyspnea. In: Broaddus VC, Ernst JD, King TE, Lazarus SC, Sarmiento KF, Schnapp LM, Stapleton RD, eds. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 36.AllVideoImagesTogPursed lip breathing - illustration How to do pursed lip breathing. 1. Breathe in (inhale) slowly through your nose for 2 counts. 2. Feel your belly gets larger as you breathe in. 3. Pucker your lips, as if you were going to whistle or blow out a candle. 4. Breathe out (exhale) slowly through your lips for 4 or more counts. 5. Exhale normally. Do not force air out. Do not hold your breath when you are doing pursed lip breathing. 6. Repeat these steps until your breathing slows.Pursed lip breathingillustrationPursed lip breathing - illustration How to do pursed lip breathing. 1. Breathe in (inhale) slowly through your nose for 2 counts. 2. Feel your belly gets larger as you breathe in. 3. Pucker your lips, as if you were going to whistle or blow out a candle. 4. Breathe out (exhale) slowly through your lips for 4 or more counts. 5. Exhale normally. Do not force air out. Do not hold your breath when you are doing pursed lip breathing. 6. Repeat these steps until your breathing slows.Pursed lip breathingillustrationSelf Care How to breathe when you are short of breathDay to day with COPDTracheostomy careCOPD flare-upsSigns of an asthma attack Tests for How to breathe when you are short of breath Pulmonary function testsLung plethysmographyRelated Information Lung surgery(Surgery)Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)(Condition)Cystic fibrosis(Condition)Interstitial lung disease(Condition)Community-acquired pneumonia in adults(Condition)Bronchiolitis(Condition)Breathing difficulty(Symptoms)Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - adults - discharge(Discharge)Interstitial lung disease - adults - discharge(Discharge)COPD - control drugs(Self-Care)COPD - quick-relief drugs(Self-Care)Lung surgery - discharge (Discharge)Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - InDepth(In-Depth) Review Date: 2/3/2024 Reviewed By: Frank D. Brodkey, MD, FCCM, Associate Professor, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. 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How to breathe when you are short of breathPursed lip breathing; COPD - pursed lip breathing; Emphysema - pursed lip breathing; Chronic bronchitis - pursed lip breathing; Pulmonary fibrosis - pursed lip breathing; Interstitial lung disease - pursed lip breathing; Hypoxia - pursed lip breathing; Chronic respiratory failure - pursed lip breathingWhen to use Pursed lip BreathingPursed lip breathing helps you use less energy to breathe. It can help you relax. When you are short of breath, it helps you slow the pace of your breathing and can help you feel less short of breath.Use pursed lip breathing when you do things that make you short of breath, such as when you:Exercise Bend Lift Climb stairs Feel anxiousYou can practice pursed lip breathing anytime. Try to practice 4 or 5 times a day when you:Watch TV Use your computer Read a newspaperHow to do Pursed lip BreathingThe steps to do pursed lip breathing are: Relax the muscles in your neck and shoulders. Sit in a comfortable chair with your feet on the floor. Inhale slowly through your nose for 2 counts. Feel your belly get larger as you breathe in. Pucker your lips, as if you were going to whistle or blow out a candle. Exhale slowly through your lips for 4 or more counts.Exhale normally. Do not force the air out. Do not hold your breath when you are doing pursed lip breathing. Repeat these steps until your breathing slows.Open ReferencesReferencesMinichiello VJ. Therapeutic breathing. In: Rakel D, Minichiello VJ, eds. Integrative Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 89.Rochester CL, Nici L. Pulmonary rehabilitation. In: Broaddus VC, Ernst JD, King TE, Lazarus SC, Sarmiento KF, Schnapp LM, Stapleton RD, eds. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 139.Schwartzstein RM, Adams L. Dyspnea. In: Broaddus VC, Ernst JD, King TE, Lazarus SC, Sarmiento KF, Schnapp LM, Stapleton RD, eds. Murray and Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 36.