Physio and Health Matters wishes everyone to be safe and follow all of the Government guidelines at all times.
We are pleased to share the details of a deep breathing technique as advised by Dr Sarfaraz Munshi, urgent care lead at Queen’s Hospital. The technique is useful in alleviating symptoms and reducing the associated risks of the virus but are helpful for everyone. Dr Munshi says that it is very important to ensure that those with the infection get a good amount of oxygen into the base of the lungs.
- First, take five deep breaths in, holding each breath for five seconds before exhaling. On the sixth deep breath, hold again for five seconds but then do a big cough while covering your mouth. Repeat this process – twice in total.
- Then, lay flat on your front on your bed with a pillow in front of you and take slightly deeper breaths than normal for the next 10 minutes. The reason for this is that the majority of your lungs are on your back, not on your front, so by lying on your front you’re opening up more of the smaller airways.
You should try laying on your front or side when in bed, whether your just relaxing or sleeping, this is because you will open up the airways to the lungs. Dr Munshi can be seen discussing and demonstrating the technique at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwLzAdriec0
Stay safe from all at Physio & Health Matters