6 Lifestyle Changes Important to Pulmonary Fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a respiratory disease characterized by the presence of scarred tissue in the lungs. The disease starts to cause thickening and stiffening of the tissue, which ends up turning into fibrosis and causing difficulties for the lungs to properly transport the oxygen into the bloodstream.

According to Inogen, the symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis get worse over time, so making lifestyle changes right after you get diagnosed can actually help you to prevent lung damage from progressing and slow the process. Here are some changes you can make to improve your lifestyle:

1. Eat a healthy diet, full of nutrients: A healthy diet provides you with right amount of calories and nutrients your metabolism needs. It should contain a variety of lean meats, beans, vegetables, fruit, fish, whole grains, etc.; it should be well-balanced with fat-free or low-fat dairy products.

2. Remain physically active: Breathlessness often causes people with PF to limit their physical activities. As the disease progresses, simple activities of daily living like bathing or grooming become increasingly difficult. Try to keep active, with a moderate and regular level of physical activity to help you maintain your strength and lung function, at the same time as it reduces stress and muscle fatigue.

3. Stay away from tobacco: Pulmonary fibrosis is a fairly common disease in people who smoke. If you have just been diagnosed with the disease, continuing to smoke will only make it worse and your pulmonary fibrosis state will deteriorate much faster.

4. Get a good amount of sleep: Sleep has many benefits to health; in pulmonary fibrosis patients some of the benefits are the capacity to increase energy and decrease stress. You should aim to get at least eight hours of quality sleep every night.

5. Maintain a positive attitude: Attitude is important. Following a diagnosis of PF, try to remain positive. Meditation can help you focus more on the positive side of life.

6. Join a support group, it may help you: Sometimes only someone who is going through the same thing as you can give you the answers you’re looking for. Joining a patient support group allows you to share information about how others live and cope with the disease. These type of groups are usually accessible through your hospital or community center, but there are a lot of online groups where people meet to talk and share experiences.

Learn more about pulmonary fibrosis: http://bit.ly/1lfMsiZ

Source and original article from Inogen.com here: http://bit.ly/1WhyWYr