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.

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Bloating tends to be particularly uncomfortable for COPD patients because it can make it much more difficult to breathe. Common COPD symptoms like chest soreness and coughing can also feel much worse when your belly is bloated and tight.

What many patients don't realize is that their COPD bloating symptoms could be directly or indirectly caused by their disease. In some cases, treating underlying COPD symptoms can relieve and prevent bloating or at least make it much more tolerable.

In this article we're going to help you better understand the connection between COPD and abdominal bloating and what you can do about it. We'll explain how and why COPD bloating happens, how to reduce bloating, and how to better manage your symptoms and feel more comfortable when bloating unexpectedly strikes.

The Connection Between COPD and Abdominal Bloating

Bloating is a symptom that many people with COPD deal with on a regular basis, and it can make it more difficult to cope with the disease. However, despite how common bloating is among COPD patients, many doctors and patients don't realize that the two conditions could be related.

Sometimes bloating is a direct result of COPD symptoms or medications, and sometimes it's a result of COPD-related lifestyle changes and complications. For example, COPD often makes it difficult to stay active and eat a healthy diet, both of which increase your risk for bloating.

It also works in the opposite direction; being bloated can make COPD symptoms like breathlessness worse. Bloating causes swelling in your stomach and intestines, which causes them to push up on your lungs and diaphragm.

Many COPD patients also have enlarged lungs which require extra room to expand. This combined with the extra pressure that bloating puts on your lungs can make it especially difficult to breathe.

Having a bloated stomach can also make your breathlessness worse when you eat, especially if your lungs are enlarged. Many COPD patients struggle to breathe when they eat because their lungs have less room to expand when their stomach is full.

What is Bloating?

Bloating is usually described as a feeling of tightness, pressure, or stretching in the abdomen. It is often caused by gas trapped in your stomach or intestines, and it can even cause your stomach to visibly swell up.

Bloating is usually caused by problems with digestion, such as when food moves too slowly through your digestive system; this creates more opportunities for it to be fermented into gas. It can also be caused by food allergies, illnesses, and digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome.

However, bloating can be caused by many other things, including medications, stress, inactivity, and swallowing air. Just about anything that can have an effect on your digestive system has the potential to cause bloating.

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The most common reason that otherwise healthy adults experience bloating is a poor diet. Eating too many fried and fatty foods, eating too much, and not eating a balanced diet can all lead to bloating.

Bloating can also refer to water bloating, which happens when your body retains extra water, causing your limbs and abdomen to swell slightly. This kind of bloating can be just as uncomfortable as bloating caused by gas and causes many of the same symptoms.

While bloating isn't a serious symptom on its own, chronic bloating could be a sign of a more serious underlying condition. For people with COPD, frequent bloating is a problem because it can make other COPD symptoms much more difficult to manage.

How COPD Causes Bloating

There are a number of reasons why COPD patients are more prone to getting bloated. In these next sections we'll take a closer look at some of the most common reasons that people with COPD suffer from bloating.

Shortness of Breath

COPD makes it difficult to breathe and causes frequent episodes of shortness of breath. When this happens, it can cause you to gasp, wheeze, or hyperventilate, which can sometimes lead to bloating.

When you struggle to breathe, you tend to take quicker and shorter breaths. This makes it easier to swallow extra air into your stomach along with the breaths you inhale.

This air gets trapped in your stomach, causing it to expand and feel bloated. That, in turn, can put extra pressure on your lungs and make your breathlessness even worse.

Hyper-inflated Lungs

COPD causes many people—especially those with emphysema—to develop enlarged lungs over time. This happens because damaged lungs tend to trap air when you breathe, which prevents your lungs from deflating completely when you exhale.

Over time your lungs continue to trap more and more air, which causes them to stretch out to accommodate the extra pressure. This is known as lung hyper-inflation (also known as expanded lungs or “long lungs”), and it causes your lungs to become larger, less elastic, and take up more space in your chest.

Hyper-inflated lungs press down and put extra pressure on your diaphragm, stomach, and intestines, which can make it more difficult to breathe and eat. This can cause side-effects like poor diet and worsened shortness of breath, both of which can cause bloating.

What's more, having hyper-inflated lungs makes even minor bloating more noticeable and potentially extremely uncomfortable. This is one of the major reasons that bloating is such a problem for so many people with COPD.

Lack of Exercise

Many people underestimate how important exercise is to keep your digestive system running smoothly. Exercise stimulates your digestive tract and is a very effective way to get your metabolism going.

Unfortunately, COPD often makes sufferers feel breathless and fatigued, which makes it difficult to exercise and stay active. This causes many people with COPD to avoid physical activity and lead more sedentary lives, which can lead to bloating.

When you don't get enough exercise, your intestines have a harder time contracting and moving food through. This slows down your entire digestive system and makes your stomach empty more slowly.

The longer food sits in your stomach and intestines, the more likely it is to create gases that make you feel bloated. It can also lead to indigestion, which can make bloating even worse.

On the other hand, when you exercise, it gets the muscles lining your digestive tract moving and helps your stomach empty faster. It also helps move gas through your intestines, making it less likely to build up and cause discomfort or bloating.

Diet

Many people with COPD struggle with uncomfortable feelings of bloating and breathlessness when they eat. This is partially because COPD patients are particularly sensitive to the pressure of a full stomach, which can push up on their lungs and make it more difficult to breathe.

It is much worse for patients with hyper-inflated lungs, who need even more space for their lungs to expand. In fact, some COPD patients experience such severe shortness of breath when they eat that it significantly disrupts their diet.

Some patients have so much trouble eating that they eventually give up on wholesome meals and healthy eating habits altogether. In the worst cases, some patients with advanced COPD experience such severe symptoms when they eat that they end up losing weight or even developing nutritional deficiencies.

Bloating can also trigger a cycle of worse and worse bloating, as it triggers worsened COPD symptoms like breathlessness which can cause you to swallow more air. You are especially prone to swallowing air and becoming bloated if you struggle to breathe while you eat, which is more likely if you are already bloated.

Many people with COPD are older adults who are particularly sensitive to certain foods that are known to cause bloating. Because of this and the other reasons mentioned, mealtimes can be tricky situations for COPD patients to navigate, especially those who suffer from bloating.

How to Reduce Bloating if You Have COPD

Eat Smaller Meals

Hyper-inflated lungs and breathing problems caused by COPD can make it difficult to eat without feeling bloated. The simplest and quickest way to solve this problem is by eating smaller portions at mealtimes to make sure you never get too full.

Instead of eating the traditional three large meals a deal, try eating five or six smaller meals and spacing them out throughout the day. That way, your stomach is never too full at any given time and you're less likely to feel bloated and breathless when you eat.

Whenever you cook meals or go out to restaurants, try to choose smaller portions and don't rush through your food. Take as much time as you need to eat, stop when you start to feel full, and don't be afraid to save leftovers for later.

If you have trouble eating enough at mealtimes without feeling bloated, make up the extra calories by eating healthy snacks throughout the day. It's important to make sure you get enough to eat in order to prevent malnutrition and other complications like osteoporosis.

Some COPD patients also benefit from using supplemental oxygen when they eat, which helps with shortness of breath and may prevent bloating. It can also help to sip water (but not too much) and take breaks when needed during your meals.

Here are some extra tips for breaking up your meals into smaller mini-meals and snacks:

• Try to fill your meals and snacks with healthy, whole foods including fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, lean protein, and whole grains.
• Avoid empty calories like simple carbs, sugar and soda that will just fill you up without providing healthy nutrients.
• Try to eat the most nutritious foods on your plate first, before you start to feel full.
• If you have trouble getting enough calories throughout the day, try eating some healthy, calorie-dense foods like nuts and dairy. These will provide your body with lots of calories and nutrients without taking up too much room in your stomach.

Eat More Slowly

When you scarf down your food too quickly it's easy to swallow extra air along with your food without realizing it. This can cause your stomach to feel bloated, which can make it more difficult to breathe.

Then, if you are struggling to breathe as you eat, you are even more likely to swallow air. This can create a vicious feedback loop where eating makes you feel bloated, being bloated makes you feel short of breath, and being short of breath causes you to become even more bloated.

The solution to this is to eat more slowly, which reduces the amount of air you swallow as you eat and helps prevent you from getting too full. Pacing yourself also gives you the chance to practice breathing exercises while you eat and pay closer attention to how your body and stomach feel.

Another benefit to eating more slowly is that it allows you to chew your food up more before you swallow. This speeds up digestion by giving the food more time to break down in your mouth, reducing the risk of bloating.

Get More Exercise

As we mentioned earlier, exercise helps kick-start your digestive system, which helps prevent uncomfortable gas from building up in your stomach. As a result, physical activity can be a powerful tool for reducing bloating and keeping your digestive tract running efficiently.

Exercise increases blood flow to your stomach and intestines, which helps stimulate the muscles that contract your intestines and move food through. This helps your stomach empty faster, which moves gas-creating foods into your small intestine, where they are less likely to cause discomfort.

Exercise also strengthens your abdominal muscles, which helps move gas more quickly through your intestines. This prevents gas from building up in your gut and reduces bloating and discomfort.

As you can see, exercise can be both a treatment for bloating and used as a preventative measure against bloat. If you experience COPD bloating often, then increasing the amount of exercise you get could make a significant difference in how gassy you feel.

Research shows that even a small amount of moderate exercise every week can substantially improve bloating symptoms. Just thirty minutes of physical activity three times a week was be able to significantly reduce bloating in people with irritable bowel syndrome, a common stomach disorder that makes sufferers especially prone to bloating.

If you live a sedentary lifestyle or often have long periods of inactivity, talk to your doctor about putting together a new exercise plan to help you increase your physical activity. Then, it's up to you to build the exercise habits that will help you be healthier and less bloated.

Even if you have limited mobility or exercise seems like a daunting task, there are many different kinds of aerobic and strength training exercises that are tailored for people with breathing disorders and chronic diseases. You can start by taking walks, exercising at home, or taking part in a pulmonary rehabilitation class.

Get Moving After Meals

Since we know that slow digestion contributes to bloating, and exercise speeds up digestion, then it follows that getting some exercise after you eat can help prevent bloating. This is supported by studies that show mild exercise after a meal can aid in digestion.

If you tend to feel bloated after you eat, then try to plan in some time for light exercise after you finish your meal. For example, you could take a short walk around the block or do some stretching exercises to get your digestive juices flowing.

However, you should save more serious physical activities for at least a couple hours after you eat. Heavy exercise reduces blood flow to your stomach and intestines, showing down your digestion, and could end up making you feel sick or nauseous after you eat.

Watch Your Posture

How you position your body during and after eating can have a significant affect on your digestion and how bloated you feel. The best thing to do is sit up straight while you eat and avoid lying down after meals.

Lying down and reclining your body makes it difficult to pass gas and encourages gas to build up in your stomach and intestines. Lying down also puts pressure on your lungs, which can make it even more difficult to breathe when you're bloated.

One study found that simply keeping your body upright can significantly reduce the amount of gas that gets trapped in your intestines. Because of this, keeping an upright posture, especially during and after meals, can reduce bloating and make it easier for you to breathe.

Avoid Foods That Cause Bloating

There are a variety of different foods that are known to cause bloating, although they don't affect everyone the same. Some people may be extremely sensitive to bloat-inducing foods while others have no problems at all.

Some foods cause bloating because they are difficult to digest or provide fuel for gas-producing bacteria in your intestines. Other types of foods, like fatty foods, cause bloating because they take extra time for your body to digest.

Let's take a closer look at some of the most common foods you should avoid that cause bloating.

Fatty Foods

Fatty foods, especially greasy and deep-fried foods, are a major cause of bloating. That's because foods that are high in fat take longer to digest and move through your system.

If you tend get bloated after meals, try to eliminate some of the most fatty foods from your diet. Reducing your intake of greasy foods and fried fast foods is especially important.

Instead, try to eat smaller portions of fat as part of a balanced meal along with fruits and veggies, lean protein, and complex carbohydrates. You might find that reducing the amount of fat you eat makes a big difference in how bloated and uncomfortable you feel.

Salty Foods

Salt causes your body to retain water, which can cause you to feel bloated. While this kind of bloating is different from bloating caused by gas, it can be just as uncomfortable and make it difficult to breathe.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services guidelines, older adults should limit their salt intake to 1,500 mg or less every day. That translates to about ¾ teaspoon of pure salt.

Unfortunately, it's nearly impossible to stay under 1,500 mg of salt unless you go out of your way to avoid it. That means limiting processed foods, salty restaurant foods, and home-cooked meals that include a lot of salt.

Salt hides in all sorts of unexpected places, which is why the best way to limit how much salt you eat is to cook low-sodium meals yourself. Nearly all processed foods, including processed snacks, processed meats, processed cheese, canned foods, cereals, and boxed meals, contain unhealthy amounts of salt.

You should also check the nutrition labels on all the foods you buy and choose versions that are lower in sodium whenever possible. When you eat out at a restaurant you can check their menu online ahead of time to look for lower sodium options, or ask your server to recommend items that are low in salt.

Carbonated Beverages

Carbonated beverages are bubbly and fizzy because they are infused with carbon gas. This gas escapes from the liquid over time, which is why carbonated drinks get “flat” after they've been left open too long.

When you drink something that's carbonated like soda or sparkling water, the gas escapes from the liquid while it's in your stomach and intestines. This gas gets trapped in your abdomen, resulting in uncomfortable bloating and gassy symptoms.

If you tend to struggle with bloating, you should try to avoid soda and all other types of carbonated drinks. To make the adjustment easier, you can replace them with other flavored beverages, such as tea, coffee, or water infused with fruit.

Sugar Substitutes

Foods labeled “sugar-free” usually use sugar substitutes, known as sugar alcohols, as a replacement for normal sugar. Sugar alcohols work because they taste sweet but aren't processed by your body the same as other sugars; this makes sugar alcohols low in calories and usually reduces the effect they have on blood sugar.

However, the downside of sugar alcohols is that they aren't very digestible, which causes many people to experience stomach distress and bloating when they eat them. In fact, health experts say you shouldn't eat more than a couple servings per day of artificially-sweetened foods.

You can recognize the most common sugar alcohols on nutrition labels with the names xylitol, sorbitol, and erythritol. They are most often found in sugar-free foods like candies and desserts and also in sugar-free gum.

Here is a list of all the sugar alcohols you may find in foods:

• Xylitol
• Sorbitol
• Erythritol
• Maltitol
• Isomalt
• Manitol
• Lactitol
• Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates

Beans and Cruciferous Vegetables

Beans, legumes, and vegetables from the cruciferous family are all known to cause gas and bloating. This happens because they contain a lot of fiber along with certain types of carbohydrates that many people's bodies have a difficult time digesting.

If you tend to get bloated after eating

If you are like most people with COPD, then you probably use an inhaler every day. Inhaled medications like bronchodilators and steroids are some of the most important and effective medications for COPD—that is, as long as you use them correctly.

Unfortunately, studies show that many, if not most, people do not actually use their inhaler correctly. This is a huge problem for all patients who use inhalers, but especially for people with COPD.

Inhaler medications for COPD not only help you feel better, but they help stave off infections, flare-ups, and dangerous exacerbations that can make your disease worse. If you are not using your inhaler correctly, then you don't get the full dose of the medication you need to keep your symptoms under control.

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In this article, we're going to look at why so many people use their inhaler incorrectly and what can be done to solve the problem. We'll show you what proper inhaler technique looks like and how to avoid some of the common mistakes patients make when using their inhalers.

Why is Poor Inhaler Technique So Common?

Inhalers are relatively straightforward and easy to use; after all, it's not uncommon to see very young children use an inhaler for asthma. So you might be wondering, how do you use an inhaler wrong, and is it really that easy to do?

Unfortunately, yes, it is very easy to use an inhaler incorrectly just by rushing, holding it incorrectly, or skipping important steps. Inhalers are not complicated, but they do require a specific technique in order to work effectively.

Too many people either don't know the correct steps or believe that getting a little lazy about their technique isn't a big deal. Even worse, studies show that 85% of doctors do not know how to use an inhaler properly, and are thus unable to teach their patients the proper technique.

This can be very dangerous because, when you use an inhaler incorrectly, the medicine won't be as effective as it should be. Improper inhaler technique can significantly reduce how much medicine you inhale and and cause the treatment to fail.

Studies show that COPD patients who use their inhalers incorrectly have worse symptoms, more hospitalizations, and quicker worsening of their disease. It can also cause you to need to take other medications like antibiotics and oral steroids more frequently because your inhaled medication isn't working as well as it should.

It's important to remember that your inhaler contains a precise amount of medication specially selected by your doctor to be personal to you. It's important that you use you inhaler correctly and as directed to make sure that you get the full dose that you're supposed to take.

Are You Using Your Inhaler Wrong?

There are several different types of common inhalers, and each work slightly differently and require different techniques. That's why it's so important for both doctors and patients to be fully trained in the specific type of inhaler prescribed.

However, studies have identified some common mistakes that people frequently make when using their inhaler. Many of these mistakes have to do with preparing the inhaler and breathing technique during use.

If you suffer from COPD, knowing what proper inhaler technique looks like is absolutely vital for your health. That means following every step for your inhaler carefully and avoiding bad technique.

In these next sections, we're going to look at some of the most frequent mistakes that people make with their inhalers and how to correct them. We'll also show you some great resources you can use to learn proper technique for using your specific brand of inhaler.

However, nothing can substitute for a good demonstration from your doctor or another medical professional trained in proper inhaler use. After reviewing the information in this article, make sure you bring your inhaler to your next doctor's appointment so your doctor can evaluate your technique.

How to Avoid Common Inhaler Mistakes

Prepare Your Inhaler Properly

Most inhalers require you to follow some brief preparation steps before every dose you take. Both pulse-dose and dry powder inhaler require some kind of set up before use.

Load a Dose of Medication

Most pulse-dose inhalers have a lever mechanism that you have to flip up before taking your dose. Many dry powder inhalers have a twist mechanism that you have to turn to load a dose of medication.

Don't forget to do this every time you use your inhaler, otherwise you won't get any medication when you press the button. Some dry powder inhalers also require you to prime it by twisting the mechanism back and forth before loading the first dose. This is a one-time thing that you only have to do right before starting a brand new inhaler.

Shake Your Inhaler (for Pulse-Dose Inhalers)

Most pulse-dose inhalers also need a thorough shaking in order to work properly. This is a step that many patients forget or don't do thoroughly enough.

Make sure you shake your inhaler for the full length of time indicated in its instructions and avoid the temptation to rush. Some inhalers require a full thirty seconds to a minute of vigorous shaking before they are ready to use.

Attach your Spacer

If you need to use a spacer, don't forget to attach it to your inhaler's mouthpiece before you take your dose. Spacers are important because they help you time your inhalation correctly with the spray, and if you don't use it you may not get your full dose of medication.

Check for Grime and Debris

You never know when dust, dirt, or other particles may make it into your inhaler's mouthpiece—that is, not unless you look. That's why you're supposed to check your mouthpiece for grime and foreign particles before every single use.

This is also the reason that you should keep the protective outer cap on your inhaler at all times. If you remember to replace the cap immediately after every single use you'll be less likely to lose or misplace it, and your mouthpiece won't get as dirty over time.

Breathing in dust, dirt, or pollen that settles on your inhaler could irritate your lungs and make your COPD symptoms worse. You should also look out for sticky medication build-up, which can block the spray and make your inhaler less effective.

Most importantly, make sure you understand and follow the directions that come with your inhaler in their entirety without skipping any steps. Don't be afraid to ask your doctor to demonstrate how to prepare your inhaler or go over the instructions as many times as you need.

Hold Your Inhaler Upright

You should take care to hold your inhaler upright when you use it, especially during and after loading a new dose. This is especially important for dry powder inhalers; if the mouthpiece is turned sideways or upside-down any time during or after loading, you could lose some of the medication and get too small a dose.

Be careful to hold your inhaler straight up and down, not at an angle, when you take your dose. You should also make sure to position the inhaler correctly at your lips; leaning in too far can cause the spray of medication to land on your mouth or tongue, instead spraying straight down your throat.

Breathe Out Completely First

When you use your inhaler, you want the medication to make it all the way through your airways and deep into your lungs. This works best when you exhale first to clear your lungs of stale air before inhaling your medication.

Unfortunately, many patients skip this step either because they don't know or because they are in a hurry or forget. Other patients don't take the time to breathe out fully enough, leaving air in their lungs and airways when they take their dose.

However, it's important to make sure that you don't exhale into your inhaler when you breathe out, especially if you use a dry powder inhaler. Instead, turn your head to the side or tilt it up, away from your inhaler, before beginning to exhale.

Aim Your Inhaler Correctly

The primary purpose of an inhaler is to deliver your medication directly to your lungs and airways. This helps the medicine act quickly to reduce inflammation and respiratory symptoms at their source.

However, some people who use inhalers end up aiming the spray in the wrong place when they inhale. This causes the spray to mist your mouth or tongue, and less of the medication actually makes it down your throat.

That's why it's important to take your time and angle the mouthpiece correctly when you use your inhaler. If too much of it ends up in your mouth, you may not breathe in enough medication to receive the full dose you're supposed to take.

Always make sure you hold your inhaler upright and use your spacer if you have one. Do your best to aim the spray right at your throat so you can inhale as much of the spray as possible.

Use Proper Breathing Technique

Image courtesy of NIAID.

Some patients get too little medicine from their inhaler because they don't use proper breathing technique when they take their doses. Some people inhale too quickly, too late, or don't breathe in forcefully enough to take in all the medicine.

When you use your inhaler, you should always take long, slow, deep breaths. If you have trouble with this because of your COPD, take the time to practice some breathing techniques like pursed-lips breathing to help you catch your breath before you take your dose.

To make sure you are inhaling at the correct time, start breathing in slowly just before you you press the button to release the dose. As the dose sprays, begin inhaling more deeply to pull the medicine into your lungs.

If you use a dry powder inhaler, you may have to inhale more forcefully to get the full dose of medication. If you have any trouble timing your inhalation correctly or breathing in deeply enough, talk to your doctor and demonstrate how you use your inhaler so he can help you hone your technique.

Don't Forget to Hold Your Breath

When you breathe in the medication from your inhaler, you should breathe slowly, deeply, and take in as much air as possible. Then, you are supposed to hold your breath to give the medication time to absorb.

This is a step that many patients tend to forget or cut short. You should hold your breath for ten full seconds, or as long as you can if you can't hold your breath for that long.

Holding your breath after using your inhaler is an important part of proper inhaler technique and is important for your medication to work effectively. If you are supposed to take a second dose, you should always wait thirty seconds to a minute (or whatever time is indicated in the instructions) after the first dose before using your inhaler again.

Rinse Out Your Mouth

Even when you use proper inhaler technique, a small amount of the medication inevitably ends up in your mouth instead of your airways. Certain medications, especially corticosteroids, can cause uncomfortable symptoms like mouth dryness and irritation when this happens.

This is important because a dry mouth is more than just uncomfortable; it can actually be bad for your health. When your mouth is dry too often, it creates opportunities for bacteria to grow, and can cause cavities, gingivitis, and even fungal infections in your mouth.

That's why many inhalers, especially steroid inhalers, include instructions to rinse out your mouth right after use. This washes any extra medicine off the surface of your mouth before it has a chance to absorb into the lining.

However, this only works if you wash your mouth out immediately after using your inhaler (and after holding your breath, of course). Even waiting 30 seconds to a minute too long may allow too much of the medication to absorb into your mouth.

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To help you with proper rinsing technique, use your inhaler in front of a sink and make sure you have a small cup of water at the ready. Then, after you use your inhaler, immediately take a large sip of water and swish it around your mouth.

After a few seconds, spit the water back out into the sink. As long as you rinsed your mouth out immediately, this should effectively get most of the medication out of your mouth and help you avoid dryness and irritation.

Never Use an Empty Inhaler

Some patients continue using their inhaler after it's run out of medication because they don't realize that it is empty. This can be very dangerous because you don't get the medication you need to manage your COPD.

Many types of inhalers have dose counters to help you tell when you've run out of doses. Make sure you always pay attention to this counter and start a new inhaler once it reaches zero, even if your inhaler still sprays.

Unfortunately, many metered dose inhalers do not have dose counters to tell you when they are empty. However, you can tell whether or not it is empty by listening for the sound of the medication inside when you shake it. You can also check by spraying the inhaler into the air; if you see a mist, then you know it isn't quite empty yet.

Practice in Front of Your Doctor

Medical experts recommend that doctors have their patients demonstrate using their inhaler in front of them at every doctor's visit. This allows doctors to catch and correct any mistakes and refresh their patients' knowledge of proper inhaler technique.

However, in practice, may doctors and patients get too comfortable and see this part of the examination as unnecessary. Inhaler demonstrations may also get skipped or overlooked when the patient forgets to bring their inhaler to the appointment.

Unfortunately, there is another deeper problem with doctors teaching proper inhaler use: Studies show that the majority of doctors themselves don't know how to follow the steps correctly. That's why it's important to work with a doctor whom you trust and who is thoroughly trained in how to use all the medications he prescribes. It may also be worthwhile to ask your doctor how confident he is about demonstrating proper inhaler technique and how recently he has refreshed his training.

To reduce the chances of error, you and your doctor could go over the detailed instructions that come with your inhaler together as you practice your technique. You can also talk to a licensed pharmacist at the pharmacy when you pick up your prescription; pharmacists are trained in how to use inhalers properly and should be able to show you how use yours right.

Know Your Medications

Managing all the medications you need to take every day is not always easy, especially if you have advanced COPD or suffer from another disease or condition. However,  your medications are your lifeline, and it's vital to know each and every one of them and understand how they work.

You need to know your inhalers by more than just their color or brand; you should be able to name each medication and explain what it is for. If you need help, take some time to study the information packet that comes with your prescription or ask your doctor to explain.

You can also talk to your pharmacist if you have any questions about your medications or just need someone to explain them to you in more detail. Never be afraid to ask questions, even if you need to ask the same question more than once; it's easier to understand something when you hear it explained multiple ways.

Medicine and health is a complex topic, and it may take time some and patience to learn all that you need to about your disease and your medications. The more knowledge you have, the better you will be able to manage your disease and take an active role in your own health and treatment.

Here is an overview of some of the most common inhaled medications prescribed for COPD.

Short-acting Bronchodilators: Opens up your airways and makes it easier to breathe, often used in rescue inhalers for quick symptom relief.

• Albuterol
• Levalbuterol
• Ipratropium
• Proventil

Long-acting Bronchodilators: Often used in maintenance inhalers to manage daily,long-term symptoms.

• Aclidinium
• Almeterol
• Arformoterol
• Indacaterol
• Symbicort
• Spiriva
• Atrovent
• Brovana
• Arcapta Neohaler
• Tiotropium

Corticosteroids: Reduce inflammation and are often used to treat COPD exacerbations and daily symptoms.

• Pulmicort
• Fluticasone
• Budesonide

Combination bronchodilator inhalers: Contain a combination of two or more different bronchodilator medications.

• Combivent Respimat

Combination Bronchodilator and Steroid Inhalers: Contains a combined dose of at least one bronchodilator medication and one steroid medication.

• Advair
• Breo Ellipta

Take Your Medication in the Correct Order

Many patents, especially those with more severe symptoms, have to use more than one inhaler to manage their COPD. When this is the case, the order in which you use your inhalers can be very important and affect how well they work.

For example, many patients have two primary inhalers: a rescue inhaler (usually containing a short-acting bronchodilator) and a maintenance inhaler (often containing a different type of long-acting bronchodilator). Some patients also use steroid medication inhalers or combination inhalers with a mixture of bronchodilators and/or steroids.

Depending on your unique condition

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.

How Oxygen Helps You Exercise

Many patients with COPD and other breathing disorders use supplemental oxygen when they exercise, including those who use oxygen 24/7 to manage their disease. If you have mild COPD, your doctor might prescribe you oxygen specifically to use when you work out or do other activities that make you feel short of breath.

When you exercise, your body's oxygen needs go up as your muscles work hard to move your body. This forces your lungs to work harder, too, by taking more frequent breaths.

This is why physical activity can make you feel so short of breath when you have COPD. Because your lungs don't work as efficiently, they have trouble absorbing enough oxygen to keep up with your body's needs.

As a result, your blood oxygen levels can fall, causing you to feel short of breath. It can also trigger other COPD symptoms like coughing, wheezing, and fatigue.

That's where oxygen comes in: it allows your lungs to absorb more oxygen with every breath you take. This keeps your blood oxygen saturation at a healthy level, and it can be particularly helpful during exercise.

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By helping your lungs work more efficiently, supplemental oxygen makes it much easier to exercise and do other activities that put extra strain on your lungs. It can also reduce your respiratory symptoms and make it easier to breathe.

Overall, oxygen therapy allows you to do more physical activity for longer periods of time without feeling as breathless or fatigued. It also helps keep your heart healthy by reducing the strain that is caused when your blood oxygen levels fall too low.

Now that you understand why using your supplemental oxygen is so important, let's take a look at how to use it when you exercise. In the following sections, we'll give you a variety of practical tips and techniques you can use right away to work out more easily on oxygen.

How to Exercise with Oxygen

Getting used to moving around and working out on oxygen isn't exactly easy. Oxygen equipment can be bulky, unwieldy, and difficult to handle, especially during physical activity.

However, the limitations you face because of your oxygen will be different depending on what kind of oxygen supply you use. For example, using a portable oxygen concentrator gives you significantly more mobility than oxygen tanks and full-sized oxygen concentrators.

Luckily, there are many ways to work around the challenges of exercising with all your oxygen equipment in tow. In these next sections, we're going to show you a variety of techniques for working around your equipment and exercising safely and effectively on oxygen.

By learning how to manage your symptoms, your equipment, and find oxygen-friendly exercises, you'll find that you can do all kinds of physical activities while hooked up to your oxygen machine. We'll show you how to make oxygen therapy more comfortable and so you can reap the greatest possible benefits from your oxygen when you work out.

Take heart in the fact that there are many solutions for making oxygen therapy more comfortable and convenient, no matter what kind of physical activity you enjoy. Even though it may take some adjustments, you can make exercise happen, whether you use oxygen just occasionally or 24 hours a day.

Use a Portable Oxygen Concentrator

When you use an oxygen tank or full-sized concentrator, you have to deal with long extension tubes that connect you to the device, which may be several feet away or even in a different room. However, a portable oxygen concentrator is small enough to carry on your person, eliminating the hassle and danger of getting tripped up by long tubes.

Many portable concentrators only weigh a few pounds and are easy to wear on your back or sling over your shoulder. Because you're not tethered to a heavy oxygen machine, this gives you much more freedom and flexibility to move around.

Using a portable oxygen concentrator allows you to go on walks, do aerobic exercises, and all kinds of other activities without hauling or maneuvering around bulky equipment. It also makes it easier to go to the gym when you don't have to wheel a heavy oxygen tank around.

While portable oxygen concentrators can be pricey, they give you much more freedom to live every day to the fullest. Using a portable concentrator can significantly improve your quality of life and make it much easier to stay active while using oxygen.

While you can sometimes rent a portable oxygen concentrator from your oxygen supplier, you will likely need to finance at least some of the cost on your own. Luckily, there are many options for financial assistance and affordable monthly financing with low payments. Depending on your situation, you may even be able to get Medicare or your private insurance provider to cover some of the cost.

Investing in a portable oxygen concentrator if you can is well worth it; they are light, maneuverable, and can make exercising on oxygen much simpler. However, if that is not an option for you, then you can still do many kinds of exercises while using larger oxygen tanks and concentrators.

Double-Check Your Equipment Before Your Workout

When you are exerting yourself during exercise, it's especially important to make sure that your oxygen source is working properly. Otherwise, you risk getting too little oxygen, which makes it much more difficult to exercise.

Because exercise puts extra strain on your lungs, you are at a higher risk of your blood oxygen levels dropping when you work out, which is bad for your heart and lungs. Low blood oxygen makes it more difficult to breathe, makes you feel fatigued, and cause other dangerous symptoms.

To ensure you get enough oxygen, double check your nasal cannula, oxygen mask, and tubing to make sure they are properly attached to your oxygen source. If you are using an oxygen tank, check your pressure gauge to ensure that there is enough oxygen left to last you through your whole workout.

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If you are using a portable oxygen concentrator, then you should always make sure that it is fully charged before you start to work out. It's also a good idea to keep an extra charged battery nearby in case the first one runs out of charge.

You may also want to bring an extra nasal cannula with you just in case you need to switch it out. You can carry all the supplies you need in your portable oxygen concentrator carrying case or in a separate bag or backpack, if needed.

Secure Your Tubing

When you're moving around a lot during exercise, the tubing that connects you to your oxygen machine can be a huge pain to manage. However, it is much easier to keep the tubing out of the way if you fasten it down securely before you work out.

First, you will need to secure the tube that connects your oxygen mask or nasal cannula to the extension tubing. The simplest way to do this is with a clip, which you can use to hook the tube to your shirt or waistband.

You can do this with a large safety pin (being extremely careful not to pierce the tube) or, preferably, with a special tubing clip. Some patients find that clipping their tubing to the back of their shirt is the most effective technique for keeping it out of the way.

You can also thread your tubing underneath your shirt, which can help keep it away from your arms as you exercise. Don't be afraid to keep experimenting with different arrangements until you find a system that works for you.

Next, you will need to secure the long extension tubing that connects your nasal cannula to your oxygen source. Otherwise, you risk tripping over the tube as you move around the room during your workout.

To do this, think about the arrangement of the space you will be exercising in and how much room you need to move around. Try to string your extension tubing off to side or otherwise out of the way of the main space.

To keep your tubing off the ground, string it over a hook positioned several feet off the ground. This will keep the tube away from your feet and reduce your risk for trips and falls.

It's very important to take the time to arrange your equipment and tubing so it won't trip you up as you exercise. Otherwise, you risk damaging your equipment or causing serious injury to yourself if you fall.

If you use a portable oxygen concentrator, then you can avoid this problem altogether by wearing your oxygen source on your body. That way, you can move around freely without any long lengths of tubing to get in the way.

Another thing that can help is to use swivel connectors to connect your nasal cannula to your extension tubing and your extension tubing to your oxygen source. This makes it easier to adjust the position of your tubing and gives you a more flexible range of motion.

Use Cushions to Reduce Irritation

The tubing that contacts your face and loops over your ears can cause irritation over time as it touches your skin and moves around. Exercise can make this skin irritation worse by jostling your oxygen mask, nasal cannula, and tubing around even more.

If you don't use them already, you should consider getting ear cushions to protect your ears from the tubing as you work out. These little pieces of foam absorb the impact of tugging and rubbing and can significantly reduce ear pain caused by oxygen therapy.

You can also get cushions to go right under your nose to prevent chaffing from your nasal cannula. You can also get soft, fabric covers to wrap any other sections of tubing that tend to rub against your skin.

You can find practical solutions to remedy other oxygen therapy side-effects, too, including mouth and nasal dryness, skin irritation, and chronic ear pain. You will be surprised at how much more bearable oxygen therapy becomes once you've implemented some simple measures of comfort.

To learn more about how to make using oxygen more comfortable, check out our previous post here. This guide will introduce you to a variety of special equipment, practical techniques, and DIY fixes that can make you much more comfortable on oxygen.

Clear Your Airways

COPD often causes excess mucus to clog up your lungs and airways, which makes it more difficult to breathe. Nasal secretions can also affect your oxygen therapy by clogging and dirtying your nasal cannula and tubing.

To address both of these problems, you can take some time to clear excess mucus out of your airways before you work out. You can do this with simple techniques like huff coughing or postural drainage, which help move mucus up and out of your respiratory tract.

You can also use tools like a lung flute, which creates vibrations when you blow through it to help dislodge sticky mucus from the walls of your lungs and airways. High-frequency chest wall oscillation works in a similar way, but with a vibrating vest you wear over your chest.

Back and chest percussion is another way to dislodge extra mucus so you can cough it out of your lungs. To do this, you will need a partner to firmly, repeatedly tap on specific places on your back and chest.

While these techniques may not get rid of the mucus completely, they can get rid of a enough of it to make it easier to breathe. By clearing out space in your airways, it allows more air to flow through, and can reduce unwanted coughing when you're trying to work out.

You should also make sure to drink plenty of water every day to keep your mucus thin, which makes it much easier to clear out of your lungs and airways. And, because oxygen therapy can dry out your mouth and throat, staying hydrated can reduce these side-effects and make oxygen more comfortable to use.

You will also need to drink extra water when you exercise, especially if you sweat a lot or work out in warm temperatures. Keeping a water bottle with you when you do physical activities will help you stay hydrated and also combat dryness from your oxygen therapy.

For more tips on how to clear your airways, check out our comprehensive guide on mucus clearance techniques here. The guide covers all the most effective techniques for getting rid of excess mucus in more detail, including more detail on the methods we touched on here.

Find Exercises for Small Spaces

If you are hooked up to a large oxygen tank when you exercise, then you will have some limitations on how much you can move around. Even portable oxygen tanks and concentrators are sometimes too heavy for patients to lug around during fast-paced activities.

That's why it helps to find exercises that you can do while keeping your portable oxygen concentrator or oxygen tank on the ground nearby. These include exercises that allow you to stay stationary or only move within a small area so you can work out without having to move your tank or carry your portable oxygen concentrator around.

Some examples of activities that allow you to stay in one spot include jogging in place, using a stair step machine, or riding a stationary bicycle. Chair exercises are another great idea because you can sit in one spot with your oxygen source nearby and conserve energy while you build muscle tone.

Resistance bands and free weights are also great tools for building muscle while standing in place. If you have a gym membership, you can also use a variety of exercise machines that can help you maintain your balance and learn proper form.

All of these exercises are easier to do on oxygen because they keep you easily within the reach of your oxygen tubing. This allows you to set down your oxygen tank or concentrator nearby and more or less forget about it until it's time to move again.

Slower-paced activities like walking are also easier on oxygen, because they allow you to carry or wheel your oxygen tank or portable concentrator behind you as you go. You can also try yoga or tai chi, which are exercises made up of slow, fluid movements that are less likely to be hindered by your oxygen equipment.

Including these kinds of stationary and slow-paced exercises in your workout will free you from having to worry about re-arranging your tubing or lugging around your oxygen source while you're trying to focus on exercise. You'll find that working out is much more comfortable when your routine isn't constantly interrupted by having to move your equipment around.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Eating a well-balanced diet that's low in carbs is important for your lungs and can make it easier to exercise. As we've discussed on this blog before, eating too many carbohydrates is hard on your lungs, and can actually make it more difficult to breathe.

By eating a healthy diet, you ensure that your lungs have all the vitamins and nutrients they need to work as effectively as they can. By limiting how many carbs you eat, you can help your lungs work more efficiently, which can reduce how breathless you feel when you work out.

Healthy eating habits work in concert with your oxygen therapy to keep your blood oxygen levels up while you exercise. It can also help you stay more active, more healthy, and make a noticeable difference in your COPD symptoms.

Take Breaks When You Need To

Even if you use oxygen properly when you exercise, you might still struggle with breathlessness throughout your workout. If this happens, don't be afraid to slow down or take a break before continuing to exercise.

As long as you stick to a healthy exercise routine, it's okay to take it at your own pace. While you should try to do as much as you can, it's important not to push your body past its limits.

Talk to Your Doctor

As always, you should talk to your doctor before making any major changes to your activity level or workout routine. While most COPD patients are encouraged to stay as active as they can manage, some patients may have special conditions or limitations to consider.

Your doctor can tell you what kinds of activities are safe and if there are any kinds of exercises you should or should not do. Never hesitate to call or schedule an appointment with your doctor any time you have questions or concerns about your exercise routine or the symptoms you experience when you work out.

Other Tips for Exercising with COPD

Many people struggle to exercise because of their COPD symptoms, even when they use supplemental oxygen. Luckily, there are therapies and medications that can help you exercise more effectively while keeping your COPD symptoms under control.

For example, you can ask your doctor to refer you to a pulmonary rehabilitation class, which is a special program designed to help people with breathing disorders like COPD. Pulmonary rehabilitation teaches you how to better manage your symptoms and stay active through exercise classes and hands-on instruction.

Another thing you can do is practice breathing exercises, which can help you improve your breathing technique. By teaching you how to control your breath and push trapped air out of your lungs, breathing exercises can make it easier to breathe and easier to exercise without feeling short of breath.

It's also very important to always take your medication on time every day according to your COPD treatment plan. Some doctors also recommend using your bronchodilator medication before you exercise to make it easier to breathe.

Physical activity is important for your heart, your lungs, and your overall quality of life, which is why it's vital to stay active, even if you have to start small. If you struggle to exercise for any reason, talk to your doctor about what you can do to improve your symptoms and work out within your limitations.

For more tips on how to exercise with COPD, you might want to take a look at our article on Pulmonary Rehabilitation or our guide to Exercising at Home with COPD.

Conclusion

While oxygen can make exercise a little more complicated, there's no reason to let it get in the way of living an active life. If you remember the tips and tricks in this article, you should have no problem working out and staying active while using oxygen.

Whenever you get frustrated or discouraged, remember that your oxygen is your lifeline, and it can allow you to do more as you manage your COPD. Many people are able to live much healthier and active lives with oxygen, and you should think of it as an asset, not a hindrance.

Using oxygen is an adjustment at first, but it gets easier with time. It may take a little practice and patience, but soon you'll find that oxygen makes you even more capable of living the life you desire.

Whatever you do, don't give up on exercise and allow yourself to fall into a sedentary pattern. Take action and take charge of your health instead of letting COPD define and limit what you can do.

Remember that you are not alone in your struggles, and many oxygen patients are managing the same problems that you are every day. Remember that many of them successfully manage these problems and live active, fulfilling lives.

As long as you remain confident in your ability to manage your own health you can handle any challenges that come your way. If you stay motivated, stay active, and follow your COPD treatment plan, you'll be able to manage your COPD and keep your body strong.

It's safe to say that most people don't look forward to doing chores, but this is especially true for people with COPD. Household tasks are unpleasant enough on their own, but they are much worse when you have to do them while struggling to breathe.

Having COPD means your lungs have to work harder all the time to supply enough oxygen for your body's needs. That means they have to work especially hard when you do physically demanding activities, such as many household chores.

If you're not careful, doing chores around the house can make you feel extremely breathless and fatigued. That's why many COPD patients dread doing housework or avoid doing it altogether.

Unfortunately, household chores are a fact of life and something that everyone has to deal with at some point or another. If you have COPD, it's particularly important to keep your home clean and maintain a healthy environment that promotes healthy living.

However, you shouldn't have to sink all of your energy into housework, especially when there's so many other things in life to do and enjoy. You also don't want to risk worsening your symptoms by over-exerting yourself when you clean.

Instead, you can use simple, practical strategies to make many of your household responsibilities easier to do. You can find a variety of new ways to approach daily chores that can reduce the effort and energy you have to expend.

By strategizing, simplifying, and learning to control your breathing, you can make any kind of housework more COPD-friendly. In this post, we're going to help you get started by showing you a multitude of useful tips and techniques you can use to complete housework with COPD.

In the next sections, we're going to give you general tips and advice for managing your symptoms while you do household chores. We'll also take a look at a variety of specific techniques you can use to simplify tasks and approach your chores in new, more efficient way.

We'll show you how to pace yourself as you clean and make your household responsibilities feel less overwhelming. We'll even give you specific, practical tips you can use right away to make tasks like cooking, doing laundry, and vacuuming easier to do.

In This Article:

• Techniques for Conserving Energy While You Do Household Chores
• General Cleaning Strategies for People With COPD
• Targeted Techniques For Completing A Variety of Chores With COPD
• Doing Laundry
• Dusting and Cleaning Surfaces
• Cleaning the Floors
• Doing Dishes
• Cooking
• Gardening and Yard Work
• Personal Tasks Like Grooming, Showering, and Getting Dressed

If you have COPD, then you have every reason to find ways that you can work smarter instead of harder. By minimizing the toll that household tasks take on your body and ability to breathe, you'll have more energy to invest in other things that matter in your life.

Practical Techniques for Saving Energy When You Do Household Chores

The main symptoms of COPD that get in the way of doing chores are breathlessness and fatigue. Even simple tasks like dusting or doing dishes can make you feel exhausted, especially if you have advanced COPD.

If you don't plan carefully and do too much at once, housework can sap up all the energy you have for the day. And if you have COPD, then you know that your energy is precious and limited, and you should conserve it as much as you can.

In the next sections we're going to share some useful tips for scheduling and pacing your household responsibilities in a way that reduces the energy you have to expend. You'll be surprised at how much of a difference some deliberate planning and organization can do for your energy as well as your peace of mind.

Pacing Yourself is Key

Many people with COPD struggle with reduced energy and endurance. This makes it difficult to stay active for long or do physically demanding chores.

That's why it's important to pace yourself and spread your household chores throughout the day. If you try to do too much at once, you'll end up tired and short of breath, or find that you don't have enough energy to finish your tasks.

Break Tasks Down Into Manageable Chunks

The first part of pacing yourself is figuring out how to split up household responsibilities into manageable chunks. That requires planning ahead so you you can fit everything into your schedule without letting chores pile up.

You can start by planning the most physically demanding chores for times when you know that you tend to have the most energy. Prioritize the tasks that are most important first, and get them out of the way before you end up too tired to follow through.

Your plan should be flexible, however, because you can't always know how you'll feel on any given day when it comes. It's an unfortunate, yet unavoidable, reality that there will be times when you feel too sick or run down to take care of chores.

If your list of chores for the day is too long, you might need to pare it down to avoid exerting yourself too much. After all, overexerting yourself today just means that you'll have even less energy tomorrow to take care of the things that need to be done.

If you don't feel well or have too much on your plate, don't be afraid to eliminate tasks on your list. Instead, delegate them to someone else or plan to do them a different day.

It helps to plan the most difficult tasks for days when you have fewer things to do or more time to spread the steps out throughout the day. It may also help to plan in a “sick day” or two so it's easier to take a day off when yo need u to.

You'll find that one of the best things about having a plan is that it makes managing daily life much less stressful and overwhelming. You'll spend less time worrying about how and when you'll get everything done and more time actually doing things.

Conserve Your Energy

The second part of pacing yourself is taking things slowly so you can keep your energy levels high. If you try to rush or work too quickly, you'll just make yourself fatigued and short of breath.

Move at whatever pace feels most comfortable to you and don't push yourself too hard. Remember that you're in it for the long haul; even if you are feeling good, there's no use in tiring yourself out all at once.

When you move at a slower pace, you can also more easily control your breathing and pay more attention to how your body feels. That allows you to better keep your COPD symptoms under control and recognize when you need take a break or sit down.

When you move slowly, it allows you to chose your movements more deliberately and avoid wasting energy unnecessarily. With some practice, you'll find that your endurance improves when you move at a slower, more steady pace.

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Take Frequent Breaks

Finally, another vital part of pacing yourself is knowing when it's time to stop. Recognizing when you need to take a break or slow down will ensure that you have enough energy to make it through all the tasks on your list.

With COPD, it's often best to treat physically tiring tasks as a marathon, not a sprint. Plan on taking it slow, pausing for breaks, and giving yourself plenty of time to rest in-between tiring tasks.

You will know that it's time to slow down when you start to feel breathless, fatigued, or notice other COPD symptoms start to act up. When this happens, take as long as you need to sit down, rest, and get your breathing back under control.

You may also need to take a break from your chores and other responsibilities when you experience a symptom flare up or exacerbation. On days you don't feel well, don't be afraid to take the day off or ask for help from family and friends.

Schedule Tasks With Purpose

If you want to make your household chores more manageable you need to plan your course of attack. This allows you to identify the easiest and quickest way to get everything done.

Start by making a list of all the household tasks and chores you need to do for the day. Whether big or small, write them down so that you can consider them all together, side by side.

This will help you identify tasks that are best paired together and decide how to prioritize each responsibility. Then, you can put together a plan for how you will approach each task throughout the day.

For example, try to plan chores that you do in the same room or area back-to-back, that way you can get them done more efficiently. For example, if you need to clean the kitchen floor and wipe down the kitchen counters, plan to do both tasks in one go.

This allows you to get your supplies out and carry them to the kitchen just once, instead of twice. By pairing relevant tasks in this way, you'll do less moving about and running around from room to room.

You should also take a moment to think about your route through your home as you move from one task to another. This will allow you to identify opportunities to combine multiple small tasks into one.

One way to do this is to think about whether there are any items around that you should take with you whenever you head out of a room. For instance, if you are heading downstairs to clean the kitchen, you might bring some laundry along to throw into your washing machine on the way.

By taking a more calculated approach, you can eliminate a lot of unnecessary work and inefficiencies from your daily routine. You just have to plan ahead, be precise with your actions, and always be looking for ways to streamline different tasks.

Identify Simple Solutions for Tiring Tasks

If you want to reduce the amount of energy you expend doing housework, you have to get into the simplifying mindset. That means paying attention to how you do your chores and eliminating as many difficult steps as possible.

But first, you need to take a moment to really think about which tasks tend to give you the most trouble. After all, you need to be able to wrap your head around the problem if you want to come up with a solution.

When you're going about your day, you might not realize exactly what is wearing you down, only that you feel breathless and fatigued by the time you're done. That's why you need to take time to reflect, step by step, on what sorts of tasks and actions are sapping your energy the most.

Start out by thinking about what kinds of chores you tend to want to avoid and why. Do you avoid them only because you don't enjoy them, or is it because they make you feel tired, or make it difficult to breathe?

Write down a list any chores you identify that leave you feeling fatigued or cause your COPD symptoms to act up more than usual. Then, think about what specific movements or actions make you feel sore, short of breath, or put extra strain on your body.

For example, if you always feel tired after doing laundry, try to pinpoint exactly what it is about doing laundry that makes it difficult. Do you have trouble bending over repeatedly to handle clothes, or do you get breathless carrying armfuls of clothes up and down the stairs?

Often, you can find a way to eliminate the difficult steps or set the task up in a way that makes those steps easier. For instance, if you find stooping over to retrieve things out of lower cabinets tiring, then simply moving those items up to higher shelves is a great and easy-to-implement solution.

Even if the solution seems obvious, it's easy to miss if you're not looking for it. Once you take the time to analyze your methods and explicitly identify the problem, simple answers often makes themselves clear.

If you take the time to think it through, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how many simple solutions you can come up with. Sometimes, all it takes is some thought and organization to make tiring household responsibilities significantly more manageable.

Control Your Breathing

You can help yourself breathe easier while doing chores if you take care to control your breathing while you work. You can do this by practicing COPD breathing exercises like diaphragmic and pursed lips breathing.

We'll go into more detail on how breathing exercises can help you complete chores later on in this article when we talk about specific cleaning tasks and tips. In those sections, we'll show you a variety of ways you can incorporate breathing techniques as you go through the steps to complete different chores.

You can also learn more about controlling your breathing in our more detailed guide, Breathing Techniques for COPD.

Practical Strategies for Completing Household Chores with COPD

Living with COPD requires coming up with many creative solutions to things that the disease makes difficult to do. However, once you make the necessary adjustments, you'll find that you can handle much more than you could before.

When COPD makes your life more complicated, the answer is often simple. By finding ways to use less energy and simplify difficult activities, you can tackle all kinds of household tasks with much more ease.

General Cleaning Tips

In these next sections, we're going to go through a variety of common household chores and give you specific, actionable solutions you can use to make them easier to do. We'll cover everything from dusting and vacuuming to sanitizing surfaces, doing laundry, and more.

But first, let's go over some general techniques that make tackling just about any cleaning task simpler. These tips will help you avoid unnecessary physical exertion and eliminate a variety of minor and major inconveniences.

Use a Pocketed Apron, Tote, or Cart

Image by Plusea

Pocketed aprons and rolling carts are indispensable tools that every person with COPD should own. They make all kinds of household tasks easier by allowing you to collect multiple items at once and carry them from place to place in your home more easily.

When you do chores, you can use your apron or cart to gather up all your cleaning supplies and transport them together. That way, you'll never have to take make more than one trip to your supply closet. They can also reduce the amount of bending and reaching you have to do by keeping all of your supplies within easy reach.

A pocketed apron allows you to carry a variety of cleaning tools right on your waist, that way you can keep your hands free while you work. However, it will also add extra weight to your body that you'll have to carry as you move around.

Using a rolling cart is often the best option for transporting multiple items without having to carry the weight yourself. However, carts are more pricey and sometimes less practical when you need to maneuver around stairs and narrow spaces.

If you live in a two story home, you could solve the stairs problem by getting a cart for each level in your house. You could also keep an over-the-shoulder bag or tote by the staircase to help you carry things up and down the stairs.

A handheld tote or tray can also be useful, although they can be heavy to lug around when loaded up. However, they are more useful than aprons for carrying items other than cleaning supplies when you do chores like organizing, picking up, and doing dishes.

Whichever tools you choose, you'll find that you can do tasks much quicker and easier when you don't have to make multiple trips from room to room. It saves time, reduces strain on your muscles, and reduces the total amount of walking you need to do.

Work in a Circle

You can also avoid unnecessary walking by making circular trips around the house. Compared to going back and forth from one room to another, it can significantly reduce the total distance you have to travel.

This is a particularly helpful method to use when you're picking up around the house and have a lot of various items to put away. As you go through each room, put away the items that belong there, and load up any items that belong elsewhere onto your cart. Then, simply deliver the items on your cart to the correct room when you pass it as you make your circle around the house.

Avoid Bending and Stooping

You should keep any items that you have to use often in the most convenient, easy-to-reach places. You shouldn't have to bend over or stoop down to reach tools and supplies you use every day.

For example, it's a good idea to store the cleaning supplies you use most often on shelves that are at waist level or higher. However, you shouldn't store them so high that you have to strain or climb up on a chair to reach them.

Place Stools Strategically Around Your Home

Sitting down while you work can help you conserve your energy and reduce shortness of breath. When you're doing household chores, tall stools are often the most practical seating choice.

High stools are easier to get up from because you can easily move from a seated to standing position without having to lift your body up far. You just have to slide off the edge and straighten yourself up, unlike pushing yourself up from a lower chair.

As you do your household chores, look for stationary tasks that are easy to do while sitting in one place. For example, chores like cooking, washing dishes, or folding laundry are often easy to do sitting down.

It's also nice to have a shorter stool on hand to help you do tasks that are low to the ground. It allows you to reach lower cabinets, shelves, and appliances like the dishwasher and dryer without having to bend over or stoop.

If you don't have any already, consider investing in a couple of stools to place in strategic places around the house. That way, you will always be able to find a seat nearby whenever you need it the most.

Some ideas for areas that could benefit from convenient seating include the kitchen, laundry room, bedroom, bathroom, and closet.

Specific Techniques for Completing Common Household Chores

While the tips we've discussed so far are great starting points for making chores less tiring in general, we still need to address how to do specific chores in a way that's easier with COPD. Luckily, we have a variety of targeted tips and techniques for tackling all kinds of common household tasks with ease.

In the next sections, we'll go into more detail on specific methods you can use to simplify everyday chores like cooking, yard work, and general cleaning tasks. No matter how severe your disease and symptoms, you can make household chores more manageable using some of the following practical tips and techniques.

Doing Laundry

Although most people don't think of it this way, laundry can be a physically demanding task. It usually requires repeated bending, lifting, and walking to haul clean and dirty laundry around the house.

Luckily, there are several ways to reduce the physical demands of washing and putting away your clothes. You can do this by getting better tools and by changing the way that you go about handling laundry days.

Sit Whenever Possible

First of all, consider sitting on a stool while you fold your clothes and when you move them between your washer and dryer. A short stool is often best, because it prevents you from having to stoop down to retrieve your clothes.

When folding or sorting out your laundry, you can also move to a table or counter where you can sit more comfortably. It also helps if you do all your folding at once, that way you don't have to make as many trips back and forth from the laundry room.

Find a Better Laundry Basket

Traditional hand-held laundry baskets are unwieldy and difficult to carry around. If you have limited mobility, balance, or get short of breath easily, it can be very tiring to haul laundry baskets by hand.

Instead, consider getting a wheeled laundry basket so you can roll it from place to place. This makes it easier to walk by taking the weight off your hands and making it significantly easier balance.

A rolling basket may not enough, however, if you have to frequently carry your basket up and down flights of stairs. In that case, consider getting a fabric laundry basket or bag you can sling over your shoulder whenever you need to carry clothes up and down the stairs.

Don't Haul Too Many Clothes at Once

Piles of clothes can get heavy, especially damp or wet clothes out of the washer. If you struggle with the weight, lighten the load by putting a limit on how much you carry at once.

Instead of trying to haul an entire load of laundry across the house, try loading up just one small stack in your basket at a time. It means making more trips, but you might end up less worn out than you'd be hauling heavy baskets around.

You can also reduce the extra work by transporting small stacks of laundry as you do other things around the house. Just remember to grab some clean clothes whenever you pass the laundry room in the direction of where you need to deliver the items.

The same works for dirty clothes too; just try to remember to take an armful with you anytime you leave a room that has dirty clothes. Once you get the hang of it, you'll never again have to make a special trip across the house just for laundry.

Invest in a Front-Loading Washer

Top-loading washers are standard in most homes, but they can be very difficult to use if you suffer fr

If you’re someone who wants to get the most out of your electronic devices, you need to keep them in the best condition possible. For example, if you purchase a smartphone, you should do your best to keep the charging port clean, prevent the screen from cracking, and avoid overheating the device.

When it comes to oxygen concentrators, this is no different. From the moment you unbox your Inogen One G5, it’s important to take care of your unit by cleaning it and replacing parts when they’re needed. Unfortunately, many people don’t know what the best practices actually are, so we’re going to help clarify some of the most common concerns people have. 

Keep in mind that each oxygen concentrator is different. What may be great for one concentrator could be detrimental to another. In general, if you have questions about maintaining your device, it’s best to first consult your user manual, and if that doesn’t answer your question, get in touch with the manufacturer or retailer that you purchased it from.

Since the Inogen One G5 is the most advanced and popular portable oxygen concentrator on the market, we figured there would be no better place to start. This portable oxygen concentrator just released this past summer so replacement parts are widely available and it’s old enough that the manufacturers have already dealt with some of its most common issues. 

Weekly Inogen One G5 Maintenance and Cleaning

Many people purchase a portable oxygen concentrator without realizing that they have control over how long their device lasts. There will always be faulty units out there, but those are few and far between and if you have a warranty, you may be able to get a full replacement unit for no added cost.

However, if your oxygen concentrator is working as intended, it’s important to have a clear cut plan that you can follow for cleaning and maintaining it on a weekly basis. Once you get into the routine of taking care of your device, it will become second nature and you shouldn’t have to stress about it.

At the end of the day, cleaning your portable oxygen concentrator will be just as important for your safety as it is for the integrity of your device. Even just wiping your mobile oxygen machine down daily will keep it bacteria-free and ensure that germs don’t spread.

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Cleaning the Concentrator Case

The case is the hard outer shell of the portable oxygen concentrator. This part of the unit is designed to protect the important electrical components from water, dirt, dust, and grime. While the Inogen One G5 has a very durable and airtight shell, it’s not waterproof and a significant amount of dirt on the device could damage it. What’s more, all Inogen units are white, so if they get dirty, it will show. Follow these tips weekly to clean your Inogen One G5.

What You Will Need:

• A soft washcloth
• A small bowl
• Non-abrasive dish soap
• A dry towel

Steps:

• Unplug your Inogen One G5 from the wall or the cigarette lighter in the car and turn it off by holding the power button on the top of the device.
• Lay the oxygen concentrator on the dry towel with all cords and cannulas removed.
• Take a small bowl and fill it up with warm water and a small amount of non-abrasive dish soap.
• Take a soft washcloth and dip it in the bowl, then wring it out in the sink until the cloth is slightly damp.
• Begin wiping down the outer shell of the Inogen One G5 ensuring that you don’t get water in any of the cracks, especially near the battery at the bottom of the unit.
• Be sure to wipe off the control panel on the top of the unit and the cannula tube because these are the areas you’ll be touching the most and likely contain the most bacteria.
• Once finished, leave the unit in an upright position on the towel to dry before using it again.

Cleaning Your Nasal Cannula

The nasal cannula is the rubber tube that runs from your portable oxygen concentrator to your nose. While most cannulas are well-made and can last for months, they still need to be cleaned regularly to protect both the concentrator and your own health.

Many manufacturers recommend cleaning nasal cannulas weekly, but some people will clean them daily. It’s also recommended that you replace your cannulas every two or three months if you use oxygen therapy on a daily basis. Follow the steps below to clean your nasal cannula.

What You Will Need:

• Soft washcloth
• Clean towel
• Non-abrasive dish soap
• White vinegar
• Cotton swab

Steps: 

• Clean your kitchen sink or bathroom sink with soap and water.
• Fill the sink up with water and add a little bit of the non-abrasive dish soap. Soak the nasal cannula.
• Take the cotton swab and use it to clean dirt and other debris from the nozzle.
• Remove the nasal cannula from the sink and leave it on a dry towel. Drain the water in the sink and rinse it with water.
• Refill the sink with water and add the white vinegar with a ratio of 10 to 1. Add the nasal cannula to the sink and then rinse thoroughly before leaving to dry. The vinegar will help disinfect it and remove any remaining bacteria.
  
  

Cleaning the G5 Particle Filters

There are two types of filter inside your Inogen One G5, one that filters out airborne particles (gross particle filters) and one that filters out nitrogen from the air (sieve beds). Both of these need to be in good condition for your device to work properly.

Particle filters, like the ones found on the Inogen One G5, are really helpful because they provide an additional layer of protection that can help you prevent COPD exacerbations and other respiratory symptoms. By blocking airborne allergens, you’ll be able to breathe pure air and get the most out of your oxygen concentrator.

What You Will Need:

• A soft washcloth
• A small bowl
• Non-abrasive dish soap
• A dry towel

Steps: 

• Turn the Inogen One G5 off by holding the power button on top of the unit.
• Remove the particle filters from the front and back of the unit. To remove them, simply push on the tabs and pull outwards. 
• Take the bowl you set aside and fill it with water and a little bit of non-abrasive dish soap. Place the filters in the bowl to soak.
• Remove the filters from the water and gently wipe them with a dry towel. If there is grime stuck in the corners, use a q-tip to remove it.
• Place the filters on a dry towel then rinse out the bowl. Repeat the same process using clean water in order to rinse them off. 
• Ensure the filter is fully dried before placing it back on the unit.
  
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Long-Term Inogen One G5 Maintenance

The G5 is one of the most reliable portable concentrators on the market. If you follow these weekly cleaning and maintenance tips, your G5 can easily last several years, even if you use it persistently. However, there are several long-term maintenance tips you should be aware of in order to keep your concentrator in great working condition.

Two of the major maintenance concerns you should have with the G5 are the sieve beds and the batteries. G5 batteries are expected to last at least 500 full charge/discharge cycles, and sieve beds (metal columns) are expected to last at least one year.

G5 Column Replacement Procedure

Contrary to popular belief, the Inogen One G5 sieve beds (columns) can be replaced by anyone and you will not have to send it back to the manufacturer or retailer that you bought it from. Unlike with the G3, the columns are not visible on the G5 unit. You’ll need to take the battery off the bottom of the oxygen concentrator to remove your old sieve beds.

Steps:

Removal of Old Columns

• Check to ensure your sieve beds need to be replaced. The control panel on the top of your unit should indicate when the columns need to be replaced. If you’ve used your Inogen One G5 for over a year and there is no alert for you to change it, contact the manufacturer.
• If the device is indicating that you need to replace the sieve bed, ensure that you purchase the correct one. The Inogen One G5 is not compatible with sieve beds of other generations.
• Begin by turning the unit off by pressing the power button.
• Remove the battery from the bottom of the unit by pushing up on the tab and sliding it backward.
• Locate the black panel on the bottom of the G5; these are the sieve beds. Push the tab next to it and raise the metal bar. Slide the column all the way out of the G5.

Installation of New Columns

• Remove the G5 columns from its packaging and remove the dust caps.
• Inspect the columns to ensure there is no dust or debris on it.
• Place the columns in the Inogen One G5 and push until it clicks into place.
• Plug the device into an AC power supply but do not turn the device on.

Checking the Display

• Press and hold the (+) and (-) buttons on the control panel for 5 seconds then press the alert button. 
• Once this icon appears, press the alert button and you should see the following symbol.
• Once complete, reattach your Inogen One G5 battery and press the power button to turn it on.

Note:

If you are using the Inogen Connect app on your phone, navigate to the “Advanced” screen, then click on the “Column Reset” button.

DC Input Cable Fuse Replacement

If you ever charge your Inogen One G5 portable oxygen concentrator in the car via the cigarette lighter, you need to use the DC power plug. This plug contains a fuse that can wear out the more you use it, so if you’re not receiving a charge from a port that you know is working, you may need to replace it entirely.

Steps:

• Unscrew the retainer and remove the tip
• Remove the fuse, tip, and retainer
• Leave the spring inside the cigarette lighter adapter while you insert the replacement fuse
• Install a replacement fuse, Inogen RP#125 (BUSS MDA -12), and put all the components back into place ensuring that the retainer ring is tightened properly.
  
  

Troubleshooting Electrical Issues

Like all other portable oxygen concentrators, the Inogen One G5 is an electronic medical device. In other words, if your device malfunctions, it may be due to a software issue and not just a hardware issue. In general, the G5 has a very simple-to-use interface that shouldn’t offer you too many problems. However, there are several things you should be aware of when it comes to device maintenance.

Performing a Hard Reset on Your Inogen One G5

If you’ve ever encountered an issue with your laptop or desktop computer, you’ve probably been asked, “did you try restarting it?” For many of us, this is the go-to answer for issues with our electronics because it’s so easy to do and works a lot of the time. 

While you can press the power button and then press it again to restart your portable oxygen concentrator, this is not the best way to do it. Think of the power button as a sleep button on a smartphone or other device. While the power button shuts the screen off, it doesn’t necessarily shut down all of the components of the machine. 

A hard reset is designed to completely remove your concentrator from its power source and reboot the system. This is great to try if your control panel is malfunctioning or you’re not receiving oxygen the way you should. Try the steps below and if it doesn’t fix your issue, get in touch with the manufacturer:

Steps:

• Take note of any error codes on the POC’s display
• Remove the battery from the device and unplug it from its AC or DC power supply
• Leave the POC untouched for 30 minutes to reset
• Plug the AC power supply into the concentrator and then into the wall outlet
• Leave the concentrator for another 10 minutes
• Slide the battery back onto the device and check to see if the issue is fixed
• If not, contact the manufacturer and tell them what the issue is and that you tried a hard reset
  
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When Should You Contact a Professional?

Portable oxygen concentrators are an investment. Although they last for years, many people will no longer need them and eventually start looking for a way to sell them. If this does happen, you need your device to be in great condition so that you get the maximum monetary value for it.

If your device stops working for whatever reason or it starts making funny noises, you may be tempted to start taking it apart to figure out what’s wrong with it. However, we strongly advise against this! Attempting to take apart your POC could result in making the issue worse. Rather, you should reach out to the oxygen manufacturer or oxygen retailer that you purchased it from.

Conclusion

The Inogen One G5 is one of the most state-of-the-art portable oxygen concentrators on the market. Although the reliability of the G5 is unmatched, you still need to be prepared to clean it regularly or send it in for repairs when they’re needed. Doing so will ensure that your concentrator lasts as long as possible without needing replacement parts. If you need additional assistance with the steps above, read your Inogen One G5 manual or speak with an oxygen repair specialist.

With so many great oxygen concentrators on the market these days, we can’t blame you for taking the time to find the perfect one. Oxygen concentrator companies like Respironics, ResMed, and Inogen have taken the industry by storm, providing COPD patients with competitive pricing, quality, and efficiency.

Inogen is one company in particular that always seems to stand out whenever someone mentions oxygen concentrators While some concentrator companies choose to focus on units built for in-home use, Inogen believes that portable oxygen machines will offer patients the best experience possible without additional costs.

Another interesting thing to note about Inogen is that their products rarely go out of style. Despite releasing a brand new unit every couple of years, previous iterations remain popular and even compete with their latest models. What this means for you is that you don’t have to worry about purchasing a unit only for it to become obsolete the next day.

Because there are so many things to consider when buying a portable oxygen concentrator, we felt it would be best to break down and compare each Inogen One concentrator to help you find the best one for you. In this post, we’re comparing the Inogen One G5 portable oxygen concentrator and the Inogen One G3 portable oxygen concentrator.

Inogen One G3 Overview

The Inogen One G3 was released back in 2012 with several significant improvements over the Inogen One G2. This included a 25% oxygen output increase over the G2 with no added size or weight, a reduced sound level, and a sleek new design that Inogen would mimic for the next three iterations of the machine.

Perhaps the most notable achievement of the G3, however, is that it aimed to be the most lightweight and powerful portable oxygen concentrator on the market, which it achieved with flying colors. While the Inogen G5 topped the G3 in terms of oxygen output, the G3 still remains a great choice for many COPD patients across the world.

Inogen One G5 Overview

The Inogen G5 was released in the summer of 2019 and is currently the latest Inogen oxygen therapy machine on the market. At first glance, the G5 appears identical to the G4 in that it retains the angular look of the previous iteration. Because the new clean and easy-to-use control interface was so well accepted with the G4, that remained mostly untouched with the G5 as well.

Some of the most notable improvements over the G3 and G4 is that it doubles the oxygen output of the G4, has an increased battery life, and has a reduced sound level. Respiratory patients looking to purchase the latest Inogen model will not be disappointed when they discover the power and reliability of the Inogen One G5.

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Oxygen Output

Both the G3 and the G5 are pulse flow portable oxygen concentrators. What this means is that instead of oxygen being distributed continuously, the device matches your breathing and only delivers a bolus of oxygen when inhalation is detected. But you may be wondering, “is there a portable continuous flow oxygen concentrator?” The good news is yes, there are portable continuous flow concentrators, but the bad news is that they’re a lot heavier and bulkier than their pulse flow counterparts.

The Inogen G5 offers one additional pulse flow setting than the G3. The G3 can only go up to a 5 whereas the G5 can go up to a 6. If you have mild or moderate COPD, the G3 may work great for you, however, if you have stage 3 or 4 COPD and your doctor recommends a high flow rate, you may need to opt for the Inogen One G5 instead. Below you can see the two units and how they compare to other pulse flow units on the market in terms of total oxygen output.

The G5 also takes the cake when it comes to maximum oxygen output. It can put out 1260 ml of oxygen per minute while the G3 can put out a total of 1050 ml of oxygen per minute.

Weight

The Inogen G5 barely scrapes by with the first place spot for this category. Weight is a very important factor for many people when choosing a portable oxygen concentrator. In the past, the term “portable” had a different meaning for many. Because units were so much bulkier and heavier, it was considered a privilege just to be able to get out of the house. However, nowadays, most people expect to be able to carry their concentrator on their shoulders without becoming fatigued.

The Inogen One G5 weighs in at 4.7 pounds while the G3 weighs in at 4.9 pounds. While this may sound significant, most people won’t even notice the difference unless they’re out and about for an extended period of time. The important thing to note is that they’re both under 5 pounds. That’s about the weight of common household objects and when it’s on your shoulder with a comfortable padded strap, you’ll likely forget it’s even there.

Size

In some ways, the size of the oxygen generator is subjective. Some people may prefer a concentrator that’s tall and skinny or they may prefer one that’s more box-like, but when it comes to two devices with a similar form factor like the G5 and G3, the G5 wins in this category simply because it is smaller in overall size.

The dimensions of the Inogen One G5 are 7.19’’ width x 3.26’’ depth x 8.15’’ height and the dimensions of the G3 are 8.75’’ width x 3’’ depth x 8.25’’ height. As you can see, the differences are somewhat negligible, however, if you know you’re going to be using your POC in a compact area like storing it under a seat or bringing it on an airplane, it might make a difference for you. Conversely, if you want a machine that’s as comfortable as possible on your shoulder, the additional depth on the G5 may be a deal-breaker.  

Sound Level

Many people have concerns about the sounds that portable concentrators make because they don’t want to disturb people if they’re in a church service, in a quiet library or any other crowded area. Fortunately, POCs are designed specifically with these people in mind and the G3 and G5 are no exception. 

The Inogen One G5 is one decibel quieter than the G3 at just 38 decibels. That’s about as loud as a whisper and since these devices make a humming noise, it’s not a sound that will be distracting to you or the people around you. While most people won’t be able to tell a difference between the two devices, it may be something to consider when purchasing a portable oxygen concentrator.

Another thing to be aware of is the audible alerts that are present in these two devices. These alerts will activate to let you know when your battery is low or a part needs replacement. If you find them distracting or disruptive, however, you can turn them off using the control panel.

Battery Life

Battery life is one of the most important factors to consider when purchasing a portable oxygen generator. Many people who purchase the Inogen G5 do so because they know they’re getting the best battery life a POC can offer, however, the Inogen One G3 isn’t too far behind. With the G5 you can get up to 6.5 hours with the single battery and 13 hours with the double battery. With the G3, you’ll get up to 4.5 hours with the single battery and 9.5 hours with the double battery.

The great thing about Inogen batteries is that they’re extremely lightweight. If you think you’re going to need more battery life than what’s offered with the standard single battery, you can always purchase a second one or upgrade to a double battery. Since G3 and G5 are such light units in the first place, carrying an extra battery or two will not be a problem.

Battery Charge Time 

Once you make it back home from the store, visiting a friend, or going on vacation, you want to be able to charge your batteries quickly and reliably. Both G3 and G5 single batteries will go from empty to fully charged in 2 to 4 hours and if you’re interested, you can even purchase an external battery charging. What this means is you’ll be able to charge a battery on your Inogen unit and the external battery charger at the same time.  

FAA Approved

Both the Inogen One G3 oxygen concentrator and Inogen G5 are approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for in-flight use. What this means is that if you’re planning a trip across the country or outside the country, you’ll never have to worry about your airline turning you down. Unlike oxygen tanks which are highly pressurized devices, oxygen concentrators have no stored oxygen. What’s more, concentrators are not flammable, bulky, and heavy like oxygen tanks are.

3-Year Warranty

Another benefit of each portable pulse flow oxygen concentrator is that they both offer 3-year warranties. A warranty is a type of protection plan that allows you to replace your unit for free within a certain period of time. Although the processors inside the G3 and G5 are set to last you 20,000 hours of use, you can rest easy knowing you’ll be covered for three years.

You’ll also have the opportunity to upgrade to a lifetime warranty. This is perfect for anyone who has tried an Inogen product in the past and is confident they want to stick with this unit as long as they need it. Inogen lifetime warranties are a great value and provide you with the security you’re looking for in a portable oxygen concentrator.

G3 and G5 Side-by-Side Comparison

Who Should Purchase an Inogen One G3?

The Inogen One G3 is a fantastic unit that has stood the test of time. Despite being nearly a decade old, it still holds up as one of the best units on the market. The best candidate for the Inogen One G3 is someone who wants a high-quality portable oxygen concentrator that’s lightweight, reliable, and has a great battery life. Since it is an old unit, you can expect to see a lot of refurbished portable oxygen concentrators since many patients decided to upgrade to the Inogen One G5.

Another thing to consider is the oxygen output. If you only need to go up to a pulse flow setting of 5, then the G3 will be perfect for you. The G3 provides you plenty of room to grow into without having to pay for any additional features that you don’t need. Whether you’re financing a portable oxygen concentrator, purchasing a refurbished unit, or buying one that’s brand new, you can’t really go wrong with the Inogen One G3.

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Who Should Purchase an Inogen One G5?

The Inogen One G5 is the most advanced and powerful pulse flow portable oxygen concentrator for sale. With unmatched battery life, oxygen output, and reliability, the G5 is built for people who want the best of the best. Since the G5 was released this past summer, you can rest assured that the unit will be supported for many years to come and if you ever need replacement parts, you won’t have to look far.

Another reason to purchase an Inogen One G5 is if your doctor has prescribed you with a high flow rating of 6. The G5 is one of the only pulse flow concentrators that goes up to a 6, meaning that if you need to upgrade beyond that, you’ll need to opt for a bulkier and less portable continuous flow oxygen concentrator. If cost is not a concern, the G5 is the best portable oxygen concentrator you can get your hands on. And even if you are short on cash, you can always purchase a refurbished unit or put together a flexible financing plan.

Last but certainly not least, the Inogen One G5 has some additional features that aren’t available on the Inogen G3. The G5 comes with a built-in technology called the the Inogen Connect. This was first implemented in the Inogen G4 and allows you to connect your portable oxygen concentrator to your phone, allowing you to see important information such as your battery life, sieve bed life, and device status without ever having to touch your G5. 

Conclusion

Objectively speaking, the Inogen One G5 is the best high-flow portable oxygen concentrator. However, this does not mean that it’s right for everyone. What matters most is that you get a unit that matches your wants and needs without adding any unnecessary costs for you. If the added battery life, reduced weight, and additional features such as the Inogen Connect app are important to you, then the G5 should be your first choice. However, if you can do without these upgrades, the G3 is a great budget unit that offers the same reliability and warranty.

There are plenty of great oxygen concentrators on the market. While Inogen is pushing the boundaries for pulse flow units, there are a host of incredible continuous flow portable oxygen concentrators out there as well such as the SeQual eQuinox and Respironics SimplyGo. Before beginning your search, be sure to discuss with your doctor to learn exactly what amount of oxygen you need and whether or not pulse flow will be an option for you. Once that’s done, give us a call and we’ll help you find the perfect unit for your needs.