There are many tasks or daily routines that come so naturally to people that they say they’re “as easy as breathing.” However, not everyone has the same breathing patterns. Lung capacity can vary from person to person.

Your lung function is how well this pair of organs moves air into your body for oxygen while removing carbon dioxide. Your lung capacity plays a significant role in your lungs’ function. This refers to the maximum amount of oxygen that your lungs can hold following an inhalation. On average, an adult has a lung capacity of approximately 6 liters. 

Your lung capacity does more than assist with your breathing throughout the day. It also impacts your immune system and exercise performance. If you’re trying to boost your breathing and lung capacity, there are a variety of tips and tricks that may help. 

Read on to learn about a few ways that you can help increase your lung capacity. We’ll also discuss how physical therapy can boost your lung capacity, including how our experts at Lattimore Physical Therapy can help. 

6 tips to help increase your lung capacity

Everyone can benefit from having a good lung capacity. It’s often a priority for athletes and people who live active lifestyles. By increasing your lung capacity, you can exercise for a longer period of time without feeling out of breath or experiencing a side stitch. This leads to an increase in endurance, which can improve your overall performance.

If you’re looking to boost your lung capacity, here are a few tips that are worth testing out:

• Drink water — Staying hydrated is essential for everyone’s health and wellness, regardless of activity level. It contributes to proper organ function and regulates your body temperature. It can even reduce negative emotions. Your lungs have a protective mucosal lining. When it comes to lung capacity, hydration can help the lining of your lungs to stay thin. This allows for oxygen to easily enter the blood capillaries. 
• Raise your arms — Proper posture helps to support your lung function. It gives them the room to properly contract while inhaling and exhaling. If you’re looking to boost your lung capacity, try sitting upright and raising your arms over your head. This can increase room in your lungs. You can do this exercise on a regular basis to gradually increase your lung capacity for improved function.
• Practice breathing exercises — While it may feel odd to “practice” breathing, there are several breathing exercises that can help increase your lung capacity if performed on a regular basis. Breathing exercises that may help lung function include diaphragmatic breathing, also known as deep belly breathing, and pursed-lip breathing. These can strengthen the lungs as well as keep your airways open for a longer period of time.
• Get enough Vitamin D — Every vitamin can help your body in some way. Vitamin D is both an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It can help your lung capacity by maintaining a balanced response in the lungs to inflammation, which can decrease lung capacity if it’s not addressed. Vitamin D helps your immune system fight illnesses that may have a negative impact on your lung capacity.
• Limit exposure to pollutants — There are pollutants both inside every building and out in nature. There can be mold, dust and artificial fragrances, which can impact both lung function and capacity if you’re repeatedly exposed to them. While it can be impossible to completely avoid pollutants, there are ways to improve the air quality inside your home. You can prioritize proper ventilation, clean HVAC filters, and keep humidity between 30% and 50% to decrease the risk of mold. 
• Do aerobic exercise — All exercise is beneficial to your mental and physical health. Aerobic exercise can be especially helpful for boosting your lung capacity. Exercises like walking, running and swimming can increase your endurance as you do them on a regular basis. Exercise also strengthens your lung muscles to improve your breathing patterns. 

How physical therapy can improve lung capacity

If you have a medical condition that has affected your lung function, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or you’re trying to optimize your athletic performance, you would likely find it helpful to book a physical therapy appointment.

Depending on your goals for physical therapy, challenges and capabilities, your physical therapist will determine treatments that will be safest and most effective for the desired results. Here are a few ways that physical therapy can increase your lung capacity:

• Strengthening supporting muscles — Several muscles that are utilized during breathing, including neck, diaphragm and abdominal muscles. Your physical therapist can help you target the right muscles to strengthen your lung function. They can help you strengthen these muscles with core strengthening, chest exercises with weights, and aerobic exercise.
• Breathing regulation — You likely don’t realize that you need help with your breathing until you’re panting after exercise or holding your side from a cramp after running. Your physical therapist can not only help you learn breathing exercises that can help your lung capacity, but they can also help you learn how to regulate your breathing patterns while working out to increase endurance.
• Circulation boost — The supportive muscles for your lungs require oxygen to properly function and contract while breathing. Through physical therapy exercises, modalities and manual therapy, you can boost your blood’s circulation to ensure that enough oxygen and nutrients are being delivered to your muscles.
• Posture adjustment — As mentioned earlier, sitting up straight can play a role in your lung capacity and breathing patterns. Your physical therapist can help you make gradual adjustments to your posture, such as keeping your shoulders back and your back in a neutral position while sitting, which can increase the amount of room available in your lungs for oxygen. 

Lattimore Physical Therapy can help you increase your lung capacity

Your lung capacity can impact your ability to participate in physical activities for an extended period of time, whether that means going for a light jog in the park or playing a sports game without feeling out of breath. 

If you’ve decided to seek physical therapy to improve your lung capacity, it’s important that you have treatments that are as tailored to your symptoms, conditions and goals as possible. That’s why we pride ourselves on making personalized treatment plans for every patient through an initial assessment during your first appointment. 

At Lattimore Physical Therapy, we can help you boost your lung capacity with a variety of treatments, including therapeutic exercises, postural adjustment, lifestyle recommendations and manual therapy. When it comes to manual therapy, we have the expertise you’re looking for. 

Many of our therapists have earned their COMT, or Certification in Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy. Lattimore PT has 30 fully certified COMTs who have the specialized expertise in manual therapy to get you the best results possible, including increased lung capacity. We’re the only place in town with a COMT in almost every clinic.

Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment if you’re looking to increase your lung capacity.