Breathlessness and Fatigue

Breathlessness (or dyspnoea) and fatigue are common symptoms for people living with lung fibrosis.  While it’s perfectly normal for everyone to get breathless when they exercise or exert themselves, for people living with lung fibrosis breathlessness and a general sense of fatigue are much more common, even when they are not physically active.

What You Can Do About Breathlessness

  • Pulmonary Rehabilitation – when it is harder to breathe, it can also be harder to maintain physical activity. It is important though to keep moving and build strength if possible as stronger muscles can help with breathing. Pulmonary rehabilitation is a supervised eight week program involving exercise training and health education that can improve fitness and teach breathing techniques that help to manage the feeling of breathlessness.  ILFA is currently offering virtual pulmonary rehabilitation classes – if you’d like to participate, ask your respiratory team to refer you through the referral form on our website.
  • Breathing Techniques – breathlessness can cause anxiety which in turn can lead to improper breathing techniques (faster, shorter breaths from the top of the chest and shoulders rather than deeper belly breaths).  Utilising breathing techniques which slow down and deepen breathing (taught in pulmonary rehabilitation and in palliative care) can help. ILFA’s STALL technique can also help. https://ilfa.ie/practical-living-aids/
  • Music therapy – involving singing or playing a musical instrument (wind instruments like clarinet, flute, trumpet) requires deep and controlled breathing. This can help to develop the respiratory muscles which can reduce the effort of breathing. ILFA periodically offers SingStrong classes. To find out more about upcoming classes and events, see our News page https://ilfa.ie/news-and-events/
  • Yoga – is a form of gentle exercise focused on breathing control, flexibility and strength.  It can provide overall physical and wellbeing benefits, but the breathing techniques in particular that are often taught in yoga can help. ILFA holds regular yoga classes specifically for lung fibrosis patients. Visit our News page (linked above) to find out more.
  • Supplemental Oxygen – Oxygen is a gas vital to every cell in our bodies. When we breathe, we take in oxygen, but a person with lung fibrosis, may have to make an extra effort to get the oxygen they need from the air causing breathlessness and tiredness. Breathing air with a higher concentration of oxygen (for example using medical oxygen) can reduce these symptoms and improve your quality of life. More information about oxygen can be found here: https://ilfa.ie/practical-help/oxgyen/

What You Can Do About Fatigue

  • Rest – Rest is very important when you have lung fibrosis and so it’s important to get 7-8 hours of good quality sleep every day if you can. 
  • Don’t Be In a Rush – Additionally, planning ahead and allocating plenty of time for an activity will reduce pressure and stress. It can also be a good idea to split big tasks up into three or four smaller tasks with resting in between.
  • Maintain a Healthy Weight – Nutrition and diet are important and eating properly can help your overall wellbeing including combatting fatigue.  ILFA has many resources including our Nutrition page found here:  https://ilfa.ie/nutrition-and-exercise/
  • Ask for Help – the HSE’s Home Support programme is available in most communities to assist with everyday activities like grocery shopping or cleaning. More information here: https://www2.hse.ie/services/home-support-service/how-to-apply/
  • Speak Up – Finally, don’t be afraid to let people know when you need to walk a bit slower or when an activity is too challenging that day. Challenging yourself is good, but it should be within reason.  The Borg Scale is a useful tool for describing how you feel during physical activity and rating your level of exertion. More information here: https://youtu.be/ocdEWb2pvuQ