Lung capacity is the ability of the lungs to accommodate the air when breathing. The decrease and increase of lung capacity can impact your health condition. Check out the following reviews.
Under normal circumstances, both lungs can accommodate air as much as approximately 6 liters. As the age increases, the lung capacity and function will decrease after entering the age of 35 years.
Some body changes that occur naturally as you age can cause a decrease in lung capacity. This can affect breathing, where the sufferer will feel a little more difficult to breathe.
As you age, the diaphragm muscles become weak, the elasticity of the lung tissue that helps the open air duct can also reduce, making the respiratory tract narrower. Likewise with the movement of ribs that become more limited because of the age factor, so that the lungs cannot expand to the maximum.
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Types lung capacities in humans
Tidal lung capacity
Tidal lung capacity is the air that enters or exits the lungs as a result of normal breathing.
Inspiratory Reserve Volume
Inspiratory reserve volume is the air that can still be put into the lungs to the maximum after the normal inspiration. The Volume is approximately 1900-3300 mL.
Expiratory Reserve Volume
Expiratory Reserve Volume is the air that can still be removed from the lungs to the maximum after the normal expiration. Approx. 700-1100 mL
Air residual
It is still the air left in the pulmonary lungs after the maximum expiratory. The Volume is approximately 1100-1200 mL.
Vital capacity
It is air that can be expelled to the fullest after the maximum inspiration. The Volume is approximately 3100-4800 mL.
Total capacity
It is the air that can be maximized in the lungs. The Volume is approximately 4200-6000 mL.
How to Maintain Lung Capacity
Decreased lung function into a normal part of the aging process. There are ways that can be done to maintain capacity and strengthen the lungs, namely:
Quit smo**king
Avoid exposure to cigarette smoke, and environmental pollution.
Improve indoor air quality
Improve indoor air quality to be one of the ways you can keep your lung’ capacity normal. You can do it using indoor air filtering tools and reducing pollutants, such as cigarette smoke, dust, mold, and artificial fragrances.
Timely vaccinations
Timely vaccinations, such as flu vaccines and pneumonia vaccine. This can help to prevent damage from lung infections.
Exercise regularly.
You can do various exercises to strengthen the function and capacity of the lungs. Do breathing techniques from the mouth, diaphragm muscle breathing exercises, and rib stretching exercises.
Breathing techniques
You can do some breathing techniques to keep the lung capacity steady and normal, such as diaphragmatic breathing and pursed lips breathing. This breathing technique maintains lung capacity and keeps the lungs healthy as it gets the oxygen it needs.
Healthy diet
Apply a healthy diet with a lot of intake containing antioxidants, and foods that is nourish the lungs.
Taking vitamin D
A study found that, higher levels of vitamin D were associated with better lung function. In summer, depending on where you live, most people can get enough vitamin D from sunlight.
When the winter enters and the sun disappears, it may be a good idea to invest with vitamin D supplements. Vitamin D can also be found in foods, such as oily fish, egg yolks and red meat.
Indulge yourself
If you are one of the many people who enjoy singing in the bathroom then you may be lucky, because singing can help lung capacity. According to the British Lung Foundation, this helps patients with respiratory diseases. People with lung conditions told the foundation that controls their breathing through singing helped regulate their condition.
This is an area that is still investigating. A study of 20 Indonesian students published in 2015 found that, the average lung capacity of the choir singers was higher than that of non-singers.
Read also: Easy Ways How To Make Healthy Lungs
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