COPD Living With

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COPD has no cure yet. However, lifestyle changes and treatments can help you feel better, stay more active, and slow the progress of the disease.

Call your healthcare provider if you notice that your symptoms are worsening or if you have signs of an infection, such as a fever. Your provider may change or adjust your treatments to relieve and treat symptoms .

• Join a COPD self-management program. Ask your healthcare provider for a program that will help you learn about COPD and interventions that can make it easier to manage the disease and have a better quality of life. This might help you deal with  fatigue , for example.
• Talk to your provider about following an eating plan that will meet your nutritional needs. If you have trouble eating enough because of symptoms such as shortness of breath and fatigue, you may not get all the calories and nutrients you need. This can make your symptoms worse and raise your risk for infections. Your doctor may suggest eating smaller meals more often throughout the day, resting before eating, and taking vitamins or nutritional supplements. Eating a healthy diet with fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fish may also help protect your lungs. 
• Ask your provider what types of activities you can safely do. You may find it hard to remain active with your symptoms. However, physical activity can strengthen the muscles that help you breathe and improve your overall wellness.
• Put items you use often in one easy-to-reach place. Find simple ways to cook, clean, and do other chores. For example, you might want to use a small table or cart with wheels to move things around and a pole or tongs with long handles to reach things.
• Ask for help in making things more accessible in your house so that you will not need to climb stairs as often.
• Keep your clothes loose-fitting and wear clothes and shoes that are easy to put on and take off.
• Use your medicines as recommended. Make sure you are using the inhaler correctly. It is normal for patients to have problems with their inhaler, so do not worry about asking your healthcare team multiple times how to use it. There are many different inhaler types, and the best type for you might change over time. Take your inhaler when you visit your healthcare provider so they can give you advice or see if you need a change.
• Stay indoors when air quality is poor and consider using an air filter. Air pollution can make it harder to breathe and worsen other symptoms of COPD. It can also lead to more flare-ups and make them worse. These threats to the health of people with COPD may grow as climate change increases the frequency of wildfires and periods of extreme heat.
• See a dentist regularly and brush your teeth often to maintain good oral health.
• If you experience heartburn, ask your provider to recommend ways to reduce it. Reflux can increase your risk of a flare-up.

TOOLKIT

The COPD Caregiver’s Toolkit

Are you caring for someone with COPD? The NHLBI offers information and tools to help. 

View the toolkit.

Over time, you may notice a sudden worsening of symptoms, called a flare-up, that may happen if you encounter certain scents or breathe in dust or fumes. Learning what these triggers are can help you avoid them and prevent flare-ups.

• Stay away from lung irritants, including chemical fumes, dust, smoke from home cooking and heating fuels, and secondhand smoke (fumes in the air from other people smoking).
• Check the air quality where you live, and keep your windows closed and stay at home when there is a lot of air pollution or dust outside. Consider using an air filter, especially if wildfires are common where you live.
• Avoid being in places where there are cold temperatures.
• Stay up to date with vaccines. This includes getting regular COVID-19, flu, and pneumonia shots, when available, to help prevent infections. Infections can trigger flare-ups. The respiratory syncytial virus vaccine is recommended if you are 60 years old or older and have COPD or if you are pregnant. Other vaccines recommended for certain groups are the TDAP vaccine, to protect against whooping cough, and shingles shots.

Seek emergency care if you have a severe flare-up.

Keep phone numbers handy for your healthcare provider, your hospital, and someone who can take you for medical care. You also should have on hand directions to the provider’s office and hospital and a list of all the medicines you are taking.

COPD may raise your risk of developing other health conditions because of damage to your airways or common risk factors.

• Frequent colds or other respiratory infections, such as the flu, or influenza, often happen if you have COPD.
• Heart disease risks are higher for people who have COPD than for people who do not have COPD.
• Other health problems, such as obesity or peripheral artery disease, that are caused by similar risk factors (smoking or not getting enough physical activity), may also be present. These other health problems may, in turn, make COPD worse.
• If you smoked before getting COPD, you may be at risk of developing lung cancer. Your provider may suggest yearly computed tomography scans to check. 

Talk to your healthcare provider about your risk for other health problems and any healthy lifestyle changes you can make.

FACT SHEET

COPD Learn More Breathe Better: Breathing Better With a COPD Diagnosis

Learn about the steps you can take to breathe better and manage COPD.

View the fact sheet.

Living with COPD may cause fear, anxiety, depression, and stress. Talking to your healthcare provider or a professional counselor may help. If you are depressed, your provider may recommend medicines or other treatments that can improve your quality of life.

Joining a patient support group may help you adjust to living with COPD. You can see how other people with similar symptoms have coped. Talk with your provider about local support groups or check with an area medical center.

Support from family and friends can help relieve stress and anxiety. Let your loved ones know how you feel and what they can do to help you.

It is important for people with COPD to know about their heart health because heart and lung problems are often found together. During a COPD flare-up and in the weeks and months after, heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular events are more likely. 

The most common condition among people with COPD is high blood pressure. Your healthcare provider can tell you your blood pressure numbers and talk to you about what they mean. 

If you are at risk of another heart condition, such as heart failure, arrhythmia, heart disease, or peripheral artery disease, your provider will order additional heart tests. Learn more about heart treatments if you or a loved one have been diagnosed with a heart condition.

FACT SHEET

COPD National Action Plan Fact Sheet

This action plan shows how providers and the patient and caregiver community can help raise awareness of COPD and reduce its impact.

View the fact sheet.