Going throughout your day or being abruptly woken from a deep sleep due to dry mouth, is something that doesn’t get much attention, but it affects a large portion of patients with COPD on a regular basis.

Dry mouth (xerostomia) is a condition that causes your mouth to feel parched of all moisture. Often times making it difficult to swallow, taste, or chew food.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is not an easy disease to manage, as you may already know. The numerous symptoms that limit your ability to do things, the wide array of commonly linked diseases and illnesses, and thinking about life before your diagnosis all contribute to the difficulties you may have managing your disease.

COPD exacerbations and flare-ups are taxing on both you and the healthcare system. Not to mention, they are one of the terrifying aspects of dealing with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and for a good reason. COPD exacerbations result in more than 100,000 deaths and over 500,000 hospitalizations each year. Did you know that within 30 days of hospitalization 21% of COPD patients will be readmitted to the hospital?

Your breath is your lifeline and when it becomes difficult to breath, your life comes to a halt. Hearing the diagnosis of COPD may sound like a sentence to a life of inactivity, a life that no longer includes enjoyed activities of your past.

This is true to a certain extent, but not totally true. Over time, certain exercises have proven to help those who have COPD. If you practice these exercises and learn to incorporate them into your life, there is a chance you will be able to continue some of those activities you enjoy, though on a lower level of intensity.

Living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), you should already know how imperative it is for your treatment that you maintain and attend all regularly scheduled doctor's appointments.

Not only is it important to attend appointments but also that you openly communicate with your doctor about everything your feeling, as well as questions or concerns you may have about your COPD or treatment.

To better understand your health and to know where to start in treatment, your doctor will ask about your families medical history, run some blood tests, and ask about any other previous medical conditions you may have.

These baseline tests will help your doctor better manage your COPD, and help them better asses your progress as you regularly visit your doctor.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease affects patients ability to breathe and live active and normal lifestyles, though with treatment and a few lifestyle adjustments you can live a happy and active lifestyle like you once led before the diagnosis of COPD.

Throughout your treatment you may notice times that you have an increased feeling of symptoms such as breathlessness, phlegm production, and coughing, which is referred to as a flare-up or also known as an exacerbation.

These exacerbations are often debilitating for patients and often times the exact cause of an exacerbation is unknown or it is a combination of things.

Something as little as temperature change can have drastic affects on your ability to conduct your everyday life.

As your COPD progresses and as time passes on you can expect longer lasting and more frequent exacerbations.

Exercise and other physical activities are phenomenal ways of staying healthy and most of all increasing lung function when you are a patient suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Staying active is something your doctor will highly recommend throughout your treatment process, but what you might not know is stress can be directly attributed to increased breathlessness and other COPD symptoms.

So though it is important to stay active, it is also important that you sit down to relax and regather yourself from all the stresses of COPD and your daily life occasionally throughout your day.

As a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) every ounce of energy is precious, this is due to the fact that COPD naturally drains your body of energy exponentially.

Leaving you to feel tired, weak, and unmotivated to do things that you normally enjoy, which is why taking additional steps to conserve energy should be a top priority for your health!

Luckily for you we have prepared a few adjustments and changes in your everyday life that will benefit your health and most importantly give you energy to enjoy life again!

The human body uses food as energy, which is why it is extremely important that you supply your body with the proper energy by eating foods that are good for you.

This is especially important when you are a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Choosing not to nourish your body with healthy foods such as fruits, veggies, and lots of water will take a toll on your body, a horrible diet can even impact your breathing.

Which is why we will be talking about the type of food groups you should nourish your body with, as well as the food groups to stay away from.

A proper diet will certainly not cure COPD but it will make your overall quality of life that much better!