Avoiding Shortness of Breath While Eating

If you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), you likely experience dyspnea, or shortness of breath. This can make many activities uncomfortable, even causing shortness of breath while eating.

Those who experience this may not only find mealtime unpleasant, but stressful and exhausting.

If you are finding it challenging to eat properly with COPD, try these seven tips for avoiding shortness of breath when eating.

Eat for Energy

Because some people with COPD are thin or even malnourished, it's best to choose foods that are high in calories. This can keep your energy levels normal and positively impact your breathing.

Try filling your plate with healthy proteins, such as lean meats, fish, and foods with plant-based fats such as coconut, olives, avocado, nuts, and seeds.

Likewise, be sure to include lots of fruits and vegetables in your diet, as they will give you the nutrients you need to fight infection and minimize inflammation.

Choose Easy-to-Chew Foods

Foods that are hard to chew are also difficult to swallow. This puts you at greater risk for choking, aspiration pneumonia, and even death.

Excess chewing can also zap your energy levels, making it impossible for you to finish your meal.

Eating foods that are easy to grind up will help you conserve energy so you retain more for breathing.

Choosing tender, well-cooked meat, rather than tougher cuts, and well-cooked fruits and vegetables (rather than raw) may help.

On the days you are exceptionally fatigued, consider a liquid meal, like a whole-food, protein-rich smoothie, or a liquid meal replacement or nutritional supplement, such as Ensure or Boost.

Opt for Smaller, More Frequent Meals

Eating more frequently means you'll require less food at each sitting, resulting in less labored breathing while you eat.

Shifting to smaller meals can also reduce the pressure in your stomach after eating, making it easier to breathe while also reducing the risk of heartburn.

Clear Your Airways Before Dining

Effective airway clearance is an important part of COPD management and can be especially beneficial before meals.

When done on a regular basis, airway clearance techniques can help remove sputum (mucus) from the lungs. This can help you breathe more easily and feel better overall.

There are a few different airway breathing techniques you can perform, including:

• Controlled coughing
• Engaging in chest physiotherapy, either manually or with an ​​airway clearance device
• Postural drainage (which is usually coupled with chest physiotherapy)

Go Slow

Eating too fast not only interferes with your digestion and causes you to eat more than you should, but it can drain you of energy, making breathing during meals that much more difficult.

The next time you sit down to eat, aim to make your meal last at least 20 minutes.  Try:

• Taking small bites
• Chewing your food slowly
• Making a conscious effort to breathe while you are eating
• Putting your utensils down between bites to ensure that you take your time

Eat While Sitting Upright

Forego dining on the couch in favor of sitting at the kitchen table.

Lying down or slumping while eating can place added pressure on your diaphragm.

Proper posture, especially during meal times, will benefit your breathing by keeping excess pressure off your diaphragm, the major muscle of respiration.

Use Pursed-Lip Breathing

Pursed-lip breathing is a breathing technique that is very helpful to use when you become short of breath. It can also help reduce the anxiety associated with dyspnea and allow you to finish a meal.

Perform pursed-lip breathing when you feel short of breath during meals and you may be surprised at what a difference it can make.

To perform pursed-lip breathing, first, relax your shoulders by dropping them down. Then follow these three steps:

1. Take a normal breath through your nose with your mouth closed for two seconds.
2. Pucker your lips like you are about to give someone a kiss or blow out a candle.
3. Very slowly breathe out through your mouth for four seconds.

Save Beverages Until You're Done

When you drink liquids during your meals, you may fill up quickly and feel full or bloated, which can then lead to difficulty breathing. Try waiting until the end of your meal to drink your beverages.

Of course, if you need to sip water while you eat to make food go down easier, do so.

In addition, avoid bubbly drinks, especially sugary sodas, as sugar may cause inflammation and carbonation may worsen your breathing. 

A Word From Verywell

Eating should be a pleasurable activity, and nutrition is an essential component of living well with COPD. If you are finding it difficult to eat because of shortness of breath from your lung condition, speak with your healthcare provider in addition to trying these strategies. You may need to be tested for supplemental oxygen use and you may benefit from seeing a dietitian or nutritionist.