best sleeping positions for breathing

Shortness of breath at night, 5 causes, and how to overcome it

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Have you ever felt shortness of breath at night that the pain was unbearable? It must be not very pleasant.

A medical term related to this condition, usually called orthopnea, is the sensation of shortness of breath when lying down.

Shortness of breath itself can be a symptom of various health conditions. If you often feel it later, don’t take it lightly!

Research results show that as many as 85% of the causes of shortness of breath can be related to the heart, lungs, and mental health.

Well, shortness of breath at night can occur because your body cannot pump oxygen optimally into the blood.

On the other hand, the cause of shortness of breath can also occur because the lungs cannot process oxygen intake or the heart cannot pump blood effectively.

5 Tips to overcome difficulty breathing at night

Then, how to overcome shortness of breath so that it no longer interferes with your sleep at night? Here are tips that you can do:

1. Avoid The triggers

Shortness of breath at night
Avoid The triggers – Shortness of breath at night/ source: food

Shortness of breath appears not without reason. So, avoid consuming foods or drinks that cause coffee, tea, spicy foods, and others.

2. Sleep in the Right Position

Sleep in the correct position if you don’t want to be short of breath at night. One of the tips is to sleep using a pillow; this is very important so that the airways are maintained and more open to avoid shortness of breath while sleeping.

  Sleeping Position for shortness of breath at night

3. Stop Smoking Habits

Stop Smoking Habits – Shortness of breath at night/ source: Unsplash

Quitting smoking can be one way to avoid feeling short of breath. Cigarettes contain nicotine which can hurt the body. Come on, love your body more!

4. Change Your Lifestyle

Change Your Lifestyle – Shortness of breath at night/ source: Unsplash

Pay attention to the condition of the bedroom. Have you been living an unhealthy lifestyle and often feel cramped at night? If so, let’s change your lifestyle by eating healthy and good food for the body.

Shortness of breath can occur due to unclean bedroom conditions. So, make sure your room is neat and free of dust.

If necessary, you can install an air purifier so that you sleep more comfortably and minimize the feeling of tightness.

5. Breathing Exercises

Breathing Exercises – Shortness of breath at night/ source: Unsplash

Based on information reported by Dispatch Health, one can overcome it by doing breathing exercises before going to bed to avoid feeling short of breath at night. At least this can help you calm down and avoid panic attacks.

After reading this, hopefully, you will have a guide to dealing with shortness of breath that often appears.

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