“COPD by itself can cause a lot of fatigue,” says Amy Attaway, MD, a pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “It really comes down to the fact that your body has to work harder than for a person who doesn’t have the condition,” she says. “You lose a lot of energy because you’re expending a lot of your energy or calories on breathing with your respiratory muscles.” But there are several things to try and habits you can adopt that will help bring back your get-up-and-go. Here are several tips on how to boost your energy when you’re managing COPD.
1. Make Sure You’re Eating Enough
“People with advanced COPD can sometimes be underweight and even eating can make them tired,” Dr. Attaway says. “I recommend that my patients see a nutritionist in order to optimize their diet.” It’s a good idea to try to adopt a diet that includes healthy fats and proteins, Attaway notes. “Proteins help build back the muscle that you can lose when you have COPD,” she says. Keep in mind that even eating can make you tired, so try not to eat too much at once.
2. Think Twice Before You Load Up on Carbs
If you eat a lot of carbs at once, that can make you tired instead of giving you energy, according to Attaway. “When you have COPD, it can be harder to blow out the carbon dioxide. Eating a meal that’s high in carbs actually makes more carbon dioxide,” she explains. “I’ve had patients tell me their breathing gets worse after a high carb meal, and that’s been shown in studies as well,” says Attaway. “It’s because of all that carbon dioxide that food produces in your body.”
3. Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Pulmonary rehabilitation combines exercise and education to give you the tools to help manage COPD. The exercises involve cardiovascular training, strength training, and flexibility, all movements that can improve lung function, reduce symptom severity and help you live your best life. Pulmonary rehabilitation can provide patients with social support as well, according to Meredith McCormack, MD, an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. “People are in an environment where they’re trying to increase their physical activity with other peers who are like them and facing similar issues,” she says. Pulmonary rehab programs can be very helpful when it comes to finding ways to boost energy, and to conserve energy as well. “We teach and encourage exercise, but we also teach energy conservation techniques,” says Scott Marlow, the director of the pulmonary rehabilitation program at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “With more advanced COPD, people can have shortness of breath doing many everyday activities, such as combing their hair or brushing their teeth.” Small changes, such as sitting down on a stool during a shower or stopping to rest a few times while preparing a meal, can make a big difference. The main goal is to educate people about their condition, says Marlow. The information and strategies that pulmonary rehab teaches can help reduce anxiety, which can also help prevent exacerbations. “The more you know, the more you are able to go out and do,” he says.
4. Stop Smoking
If you smoke and have COPD, quitting is probably the most important thing you can do, says Dr. McCormack. If a person is just beginning to experience COPD symptoms like mild shortness of breath with heavy work or exercise, stopping smoking may even help a person avoid developing more severe COPD. If you stop smoking, you slow the progression of the disease, which will help preserve the lung function you still have, according to the COPD Foundation. The more normal your lung function is, the less energy your body will have to expend breathing. There are many options to help you kick the smoking habit, including gum, patches, and prescription medicine.
5. Try to Lose Those Extra Pounds
There is increasing evidence that people with COPD who are overweight have worse outcomes, says McCormack. A study published in 2013 in the Annals of Nutritional Metabolism concluded that an increase in fat mass was associated with worsening health. The extra weight around the chest wall causes compression and reduces air capacity. Even without the presence of COPD, obesity has been linked to lower endurance and greater fatigue. Pulmonary rehab or a doctor can help provide nutritional counseling and a plan to help you increase activity, shed weight, and boost the amount of energy you have every day.
6. Get Enough Rest
Establishing a routine and planning your day can help you make sure you get enough time to rest, says Attaway. “It’s important to allow for periods of rest in the middle of the day. A lot of my patients will plan for rest in the afternoon, maybe a brief nap,” she says. Sleeping for too long in the middle of the day, however, could leave you groggy or make it more difficult to go to sleep at night, she adds. “A shorter nap is best, just enough to get your energy back.” Sleep apnea or sleep disordered breathing is a frequent comorbidity for people with COPD. “Getting treated for this condition separate from your COPD treatment is an important part of your care,” says McCormack. Your sleep quality can be affected by low oxygen concentrations during sleep, notes McCormack. Your doctor might prescribe supplemental oxygen, which could help you sleep better at night and lift your energy and mood during the day.
7. Get Screened for Depression
“It’s very common for people with COPD to have depression or to just feel down,” says Attaway. “When you have COPD, it’s harder for you to get around and you may have to ask people for help,” she says. That can lead to feelings of guilt or helplessness. It’s important to be aware that depression and COPD often go together, says Attaway. “Be sure that you are screened for depression if you think you may be feeling down.” Set a schedule and try to keep up with friends and family, she suggests. “Keep doing the activities that you enjoy and try not to spend too much time in your house,” says Attaway.
8. Get Your Vitamin D Checked
A lot of patients with COPD have low vitamin D, which can contribute to fatigue, according to Attaway. Even when controlling for other factors such as smoking, age, and BMI, COPD was associated with an increased risk for vitamin D deficiency, according to a 2012 study published in PLoS One, although the risk dropped slightly in the summer months. “Many places don’t get much sun, especially in the winter, and our bodies can’t make the necessary amount without that exposure to sunlight,” says Attaway. You can ask your doctor for a simple blood test to find out your vitamin D level. Depending on your age and what your level is, your doctor might give you an additional supplement to get you up to the normal range.
9. Try to Limit Your Stress
Chronic stress and anxiety can worsen COPD, says McCormack. “It’s not unusual for people with advanced lung disease to experience anxiety, which can be intertwined with feelings of breathlessness,” says McCormack. Reducing your stress and anxiety can help you relax more fully and use your energy in more productive and healthy ways. Take care of yourself with exercise, adequate sleep, and a good diet — all these things have been shown to reduce stress. “There are breathing techniques and visualization exercises that can help a person get through those times when they are feeling anxious or short of breath,” says Marlow. This kind of breathing is taught in many pulmonary rehab programs and is similar to methods taught in mindfulness workshops.
