Breathing exercises and tips on how to combat Covid-19 breathlessness

With our third Covid-19 wave upon us I decided it would be valuable to share some tips and breathing exercises that can aid both those who are ill with Covid-19 as well as those who are post Covid.

Many thanks to my physio colleagues Lianca Doorkran and Megan Perumal for their assistance with the content for this article.

As we are all aware Covid-19 can present with a wide variety of symptoms including fever, headaches, sore throat, muscle and body pain, extreme fatigue, cough, breathlessness, diarrhea, skin rash and loss of taste or smell.

Should you be experiencing any of these symptoms and suspect Covid-19 consult your GP or go for a Covid test.

Managing breathlessness at home

Please note this is only for patients with mild to moderate symptoms and should you have severe breathlessness or a productive cough please see a physiotherapist or consult your doctor.

• Prone lying (lying on your tummy) is one of the best positions to help bring effective air flow into the lungs. Current research recommends lying like this for 30 minutes to 2 hours as long as it is comfortable to maintain this position.

• Deep breathing exercises: With Covid-19, patients tend to breathe very shallowly and therefore it is helpful to focus on breathing techniques to ensure air gets into the bases of the lungs. Place your hands on the sides of your rib cage, breathe in through your nose and let your ribs expand outwards against your hands, hold for 2-3 seconds and then exhale out your mouth. Try this 3 times.

• Thoracic expansion exercise in sitting: Sit in an upright chair with your back supported or sit upright on the edge of your bed with feet on the floor. As you inhale through your nose raise your arms upwards in front of you until they are above your head. As you exhale through the mouth lower the arms down slowly. Try one breath and if possible, do this 3 times.

• Breath stacking: This breathing exercise consists of breathing into the belly. Initially to get the hang of belly breathing, lie on your back with a pillow on your tummy and a book on top of the pillow, inhale through the nose and feel the belly rise upwards towards the ceiling, lifting the book. Once you have mastered this try it in sitting position. Breath stacking consists of inhaling through the nose into the belly and then stacking another breath on top of your initial inhalation and then exhaling.

It is important to note that Covid-19 can reduce the compliance of the lungs (the lungs are less elastic and therefore expand less efficiently), so even after acute infection is cleared one needs to continue with breathing exercises to improve lung expansion and air entry into the lungs.

Should you be struggling or coughing up mucous, consult a physiotherapist to assist you.

Covid-19 fatigue

As with many viral infections post Covid viral fatigue is common and can last 2-3 weeks or in some cases even longer.

This is a very real and frustrating symptom which can be experienced by those who suffered from either mild or severe Covid-19 infection.

What to do:

• Recognise that the fatigue is real and be kind to yourself.

• Pace your activities – plan ahead, prioritise what you need to do and delegate where you can.

• Get a good night’s sleep.

• Try relaxation techniques or activities that promote good sleep patterns and reduce stress, such as mindfulness, meditation and stretching.

• Maintain a healthy diet.

• Keep active but do not overexert yourself.

Should your fatigue remain unchanged after 4 weeks consult your doctor.

As we enter this next wave it is advisable that should you test positive for Covid-19, you let your doctor know so that he or she can monitor your recovery.

In this season it is better to err on the side of caution.

Salt Rock resident Tarryn Graham has a BSc in Physiotherapy from Stellenbosch University, and has a special interest in and further training in women’s health physiotherapy. She has 10 years’ experience in women’s health and pelvic floor physiotherapy.