Without oxygen, human life would not exist. Much like the water you drink and the food you eat, the oxygen you inhale plays an essential role in helping your body convert nutrients into usable energy, occurring through a process called cellular respiration.

Because COPD is a breathing disorder, most of the symptoms of the disease are caused by not being able to get enough oxygen when you breathe. However, there is another, equally serious breathing problem that COPD patients face, which is not exhaling enough carbon dioxide (CO2) when they breathe—known as CO2 retention.

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.

When you suffer from a breathing disorder like COPD, it's vital to breathe air that is clean and healthy as often as possible. Respiratory diseases leave your lungs and airways extra sensitive to irritation and inflammation, which means that even small amounts of airborne contaminates can worsen COPD symptoms and even cause exacerbations.

Regular physical activity is a vital part of keeping yourself healthy if you have COPD. Unfortunately, the very nature of the disease makes exercise more difficult, with fatigue and breathing difficulties being some of the major symptoms.

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.

Having a dry mouth is a symptom that many COPD patients experience, although it is often overlooked. Compared to more visible or more serious ailments, like coughing and shortness of breath, many patients consider their dry mouth symptoms to be low priority or never bring them up with their doctor at all.

Living healthily and happily with COPD is all about developing healthy lifestyle habits and learning how to keep your symptoms under control. Because it is a chronic disease with no real cure, the only way to manage it is by keeping up with daily medication and carefully following treatment goals.

That's why all COPD patients should have a personalized COPD action plan to help them keep track of their medications and other treatment goals.

A COPD action plan is a comprehensive set of instruction on how to manage and treat your COPD. It's the most important tool you have for keeping your symptoms under control and preserving the health of your lungs and the rest of your body.

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.

The stress and hassle of traveling can be a challenge for anyone, but it poses a special challenge for those struggling with chronic diseases like COPD.