As you grow older, it is natural to see your body go through changes. It is not just your skin, hair, eyesight and mobility that get affected due to age. Even your lungs may not be able to hold a good amount of air. Lung capacity – the total amount of air your lungs can hold – is important. If you don’t have good lung capacity, you will have difficulty in breathing. It is normal for your lung function to gradually decline after you turn 35. Apart from ageing, even factors like smoking and pollution can affect your lung capacity. But there are breathing exercises and different ways to increase your lung capacity.

What is lung capacity?

Lung capacity refers to the total volume of air that the lungs can hold, with total lung capacity being the maximum amount of air the lungs can hold at the end of inspiration. This measure is critical for respiratory function and essential for maintaining good lung health, says pulmonologist Dr Sulaiman Ladhani.

Adequate lung capacity ensures proper oxygenation, which is vital for delivering oxygen-rich blood throughout the body, promoting overall health. Also, lung capacity is crucial for eliminating toxic waste gases like carbon dioxide. It also plays a role in the body’s defense against respiratory illnesses. Good lung capacity facilitates deep breathing, which helps clear mucus and contaminants from the airways. So, maintaining lung capacity is important to prevent complications such as shortness of breath, fatigue, and restricted normal activity.

What causes low lung capacity?

Here are some of the factors affecting your lung capacity:

1. Age

Lungs can hold approximately six liters of air, but after the age of 35, lung function declines as you age, according to the American Lung Association. So, ageing is the most common and significant cause of lower lung capacity. As we age, the elasticity of our lungs decreases, making it more difficult to take deep breaths, says the expert. Also, our muscles tend to weaken, leading to lower lung capacity, particularly after the age of 35 to 40.

2. Smoking

Smoking is the leading cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which damages the small air sacs in the lungs, says Dr Ladhani. This can lead to inflammation and reduced lung capacity.

3. Asthma

Uncontrolled asthma, a condition which makes it difficult to breathe, over a long period can damage the lung airways. It can cause inflammation and ultimately reduce lung capacity.

4. Obesity or being overweight

If you are on the heavier side of the weighing scale, you need to be more careful. Obesity can put a strain on the lungs, making it difficult to breathe and leading to reduced lung capacity. Weak respiratory muscles or skeletal muscular diseases can reduce the efficiency of breathing. Weak muscles can lead to inactivity, further decreasing breathing capacity and making it more difficult to breathe.

Nowadays, air pollution and dust exposure are also significant causes. They can cause lung inflammation, potentially leading to COPD, which damages the lungs and causes restrictive lung disease or decreased lung capacity, says the expert.

What are the ways to increase lung capacity?

Improving lung capacity involves several methods, with exercise being the foremost.

1. Diaphragmatic breathing or deep breathing exercises

Deep breathing exercises are essential for improving lung capacity and respiratory health. These exercises, when practiced regularly, help people use a larger portion of their lung capacity, enhancing oxygen intake and carbon dioxide expulsion, explains the expert. Deep breathing strengthens the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, which help in improving respiratory function and lung capacity. Also, deep breathing exercises can reduce stress, promote relaxation, and decrease anxiety, all of which contribute to better breathing patterns and lung capacity. So, use your nose to breathe in deeply and slowly while expanding your lower rib cage. After holding it 5 seconds, breathe out slowly.

2. Pursed lip breathing

This involves breathing in deeply through the nose in a slow and controlled manner, pursing the lips and breathing out through the pursed lips. This breathing exercise can help keep your airways open for a longer time. This can facilitate airflow into and out of your lungs.

3. Aerobic exercises

Aerobic exercises, which engage large muscle groups, are particularly effective as they strengthen the diaphragm, the main muscle of respiration, and the intercostal muscles, which are essential for breathing. Strengthening these muscles enables deeper and more efficient breathing, leading to better inhalation and exhalation, and improving lung capacity, says the expert. Aerobic workouts also enhance the body’s efficiency in using oxygen, allowing more oxygen intake and more effective expulsion of carbon dioxide. Such exercises contribute to a higher inspiratory volume, enabling deeper inhalations beyond normal breaths, thereby improving lung capacity. So, walk, run or go for a swim for better lung capacity.

4. Interval training

If you experience breathlessness while exercising, go for interval training instead. This type of training involves alternating between short periods of more rigorous and less strenuous exercise. So, you can run for a minute or two then walk slowly for two minutes, and repeat this cycle for about 30 minutes. This will give your lungs time to recover, and then you can challenge them again.

5. Stop smoking

Quitting smoking can lead to significant positive changes, as the lungs have a remarkable ability to heal and recover, says Dr Ladhani. Smoking accelerates the decline in lung function prematurely, and quitting can slow this decline, improving lung capacity and preventing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. You can take help of therapist and hang out with non-smokers to quit smoking.

6. Get more vitamin D

Ensuring good vitamin D intake can help maintain lung health. It may reduce the risk of respiratory infections, such as flu and pneumonia, which can temporarily reduce lung capacity. Sunlight is a great way to get vitamin D. You can also eat foods such as salmon, egg yolks, and fortified foods like breakfast cereals.

Improving air quality and avoiding polluted areas, artificial fragrances, and dust are crucial, as these factors can reduce lung capacity and increase susceptibility to allergies and inflammation in the lungs, says the expert.

Lung capacity naturally declines with age, but following these steps can ensure efficient lung function and overall good lung health.