While the pandemic continues to ravage the world, more and more people are talking about the case of long COVID. In the UK, statisticssay that about 376,000 people have had symptoms of long COVID for over a year.
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Symptoms oflong COVID include dizziness, insomnia, memory difficulties, pins and needles, and tiredness. Other symptoms are respiratory problems such as shortness of breath, chest pain or heart palpitations. It is not yet known how long exactly symptoms of long COVID can last.
The benefits of breathing exercises for long COVID
One thing we do know about long COVID is that it can last from weeks to months. What you can do in this uncertainty is gather support and knowledge on how to tackle these symptoms.
According to the British Lung Foundation, the main respiratory symptoms in long COVID are due to a lack of oxygen, coughs and general breathlessness. All in all, they recommend you to learn a few breathing exercises to control your intake of air and oxygenate your brain. Head on to their website to check out breathing tips to get you started.
If talking to a health specialist isn’t your cup of tea, the foundation highly recommends doing yoga. This will enhance your breathing endurance all the while building a coherent flow. Yoga also allows you to focus on yourself and feel less overwhelmed by these unusual symptoms.
How can you make breathing exercises fun?
If yoga is one a great solution, there are also many other creative ways to bring about breathing exercises into your routine. Here are a few:
- If you are a social person and feel like COVID has hindered your mundane habits, you can always join a long COVID support group
- If you are the musical type, you could learn to play an air instrument or join a choir. These practices, especially singing, teach you longer exaltations, which will in turn rehabilitate your breathing
- Just RELAX. This may seem like useless advice but you’ve been through tough times so cut yourself some slack. Take things slow until your breathing gets better and do things for yourself. For example, build in a habit of spa nights, nice calm strolls with friends, inhaling in nature, etc.
