Exercise is absolutely vital for healthy living, especially if you have COPD or another respiratory disease. But when you're hooked up to your oxygen tank or concentrator, it can make working out and doing other physical activities a little bit more tricky.

Fortunately, exercising with oxygen isn't too difficult if you know how to do it right. In fact, the extra oxygen you get should make it easier to exercise by improving your endurance and making it easier to breathe. 

In this article, we're going to give you a variety of tips and techniques to help you better manage exercise while you're using supplemental oxygen. That way, you can continue living an active, healthy life without letting your disease or your oxygen therapy get in the way.

Despite affecting more than 11 million people in the United States, many people do not understand COPD. Even people who have been diagnosed with COPD often have a poor understanding of how the disease actually works.

Everyone experiences bloating every now and then, often the result of a big meal or a minor stomach illness. However, bloating tends to be a frequent problem for people with COPD for different reasons, and it's a problem that is frequently underestimated.

Part of living with COPD is having to be extra careful about protecting your body, and especially your lungs, from harm. That means doing everything you can to avoid illnesses, exacerbations, and any environmental conditions that could weaken your lungs or make your symptoms worse.

Unfortunately, with every new season COPD patients have to adjust to new hazards and challenges that come with the change in weather. And with the summer on its way, it's important to know what to expect and how you can prepare yourself for the shift.

When you depend on supplemental oxygen to keep you well, a reliable portable oxygen concentrator is all but a necessity. Portable concentrators are uniquely useful because they turn regular, ambient air into concentrated medical grade oxygen for you to breathe.

That means there are no heavy, flammable tanks that need to be refilled or replaced. You'll have an unending supply of oxygen as long as long as you have battery power.

Portable concentrators can be life changing; they allow you to leave home, stay active, and go about all your daily tasks with convenience and ease. Many models even offer optional backup batteries so you can go out with confidence and use your portable concentrator even longer without interruption.

Because your health and comfort depends on it, choosing a portable continuous flow oxygen concentrator that fits your needs and lifestyle is an important decision. That's why, in this article, we've provided you with information about the top four continuous flow portable oxygen concentrators on the market.

We've included everything you need to know about their unique features, oxygen output, battery life, and more to help you make the best decision possible. Listed in no particular order, here are the top 4 portable continuous flow oxygen concentrators.

Does it feel like oxygen concentrators are getting better and better every year?  

You’re not imagining things.

The truth is that the technology that is used to create oxygen concentrators has developed and evolved very quickly over the last few years, which has allowed companies to come up with some truly innovative and groundbreaking machines. They will help deliver oxygen to you more efficiently than ever. 

In 2017, there are a handful of companies producing high-quality oxygen concentrators.

There are actually so many different models to choose from that it can be a little bit confusing to pick out which one will be best for you. But there are several oxygen concentrators that are superior to all of the other ones out there.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the very best portable oxygen concentrators out now.

Pulse flow portable oxygen concentrators are different from continuous-flow concentrators in that they detect when you inhale and deliver a bolus dose of oxygen on-demand. Concentrators with pulse-flow technology are intuitive and responsive by automatically adjusting the amount of oxygen they deliver based on your breathing rate.

Getting enough sleep is a daily challenge for many people with COPD. Between coughing, breathing troubles, and shortness of breath, it's no wonder that the disease makes it difficult to relax and sleep soundly at night.

If you have COPD, then you know that it can be dangerous when your symptoms suddenly get worse. That's why preventing flare-ups and exacerbations is one of the main goals of treatment for people with COPD.