How I Finally Got Rid of Shortness of Breath Naturally in Just a Few Weeks (After Years of Living With COPD)

I had been living with shortness of breath for years. Even simple tasks like climbing the stairs or working in my garden left me gasping. But today I want to share how I finally got rid of it naturally in weeks — and how you can too.

Written by Susan Miller, 68, Living With COPD | Sep 29, 2025

My name is Susan Miller and I have been living with COPD for the last 7 years.

 

The shortness of breath (dyspnea) slowly crept into my life until it began controlling everything I did.

 

At first, I thought it was just age catching up with me. 

 

Walking up the stairs left me winded, grocery shopping became exhausting, and even something as simple as carrying laundry across the room felt like running a marathon.

 

I used to love gardening, but kneeling to plant flowers left me gasping for air, my chest tight as if someone was pressing a heavy stone against it.

 

Like most people in my situation, I tried everything doctors recommended.

 

What I discovered is something different.

 

Within just a few weeks at home, the air hunger that controlled my life was gone.

 

Breathing became easier, and with that came other changes I never expected. 

 

I began sleeping through the night without waking up short of breath. 

 

My anxiety eased, my mind felt clearer, and I had more energy to get through my days.

 

My brain fog and headaches were gone.

 

For the first time in years, I feel like I have control over my own body again. 

 

And that is why I am writing this. 

 

Because I know the struggle, and I want you to know that there is hope.

 

Everything that I've tried didn't work

Six months ago I was on oxygen every day.

Over the years, I tried every option doctors handed me. At first, I was prescribed inhalers. I started with Spiriva (tiotropium). It did open up my airways, but the side effects made me shaky and gave me terrible dry mouth. 

 

Then came the combination inhalers like Advair and Symbicort. Yes, they helped me breathe easier, but they also left me with headaches, a sore throat, and sometimes even hoarseness. I felt like I was trading one problem for another.

 

Then the doctors added steroids. I was on prednisone more times than I can count. Steroids may calm inflammation in the lungs, but they also interfere with the body’s ability to build and maintain bone. They reduce the absorption of calcium, speed up the breakdown of bone tissue, and weaken the cells that are supposed to keep bones strong. Over time, my bones became brittle, fragile, and I developed severe osteoporosis. One day, I actually broke my hip just from reaching into the fridge. I would never have believed that was possible until it happened to me.

 

At my lowest point, I was given oxygen therapy. I hated it with every part of me. I felt like being a prisoner in my own home. The tubes, the machine, the constant reminder that I couldn’t go anywhere without it.

 

I even tried lifestyle changes. I followed the advice of dietitians who told me to eat more protein, and I went as far as experimenting with high-fat, low-carb diets because I read it might reduce CO2 load. I noticed some relief in breathlessness, but I didn't have time cooking special meals. It was very hard for me to stay consistent.

 

Exercise programs were another battle. In pulmonary rehab they had me walking on a treadmill, lifting light hand weights, and pulling at resistance bands to build up strength. I signed up for senior yoga, tried gentle chair stretches, even gave light cycling a go, hoping each one would finally help me breathe easier. But no matter what I tried, the tightness in my chest and the constant gasping always cut things short.

 

And of course, the medications never ended. I was told to keep taking alendronic acid for my bones, and I was on and off drugs like theophylline that came with “gnarly side effects”. Some days I felt dizzy, others I couldn’t sleep. It was endless.

 

The truth is, every single one of these things either gave me short bursts of relief followed by side effects, or it did nothing at all to restore my independence. They kept me alive, yes, but I never felt like I was truly living. Just like one woman on a Reddit said, “It’s survival mode, not life.”

 

That’s when I realized I needed to find something different. Something that didn’t come with a long list of side effects or require me to sit with tubes in my nose. But before I could find the right solution, I had to understand what is really going on inside my body.

 

The Real Reason Behind Shortness of Breath

As you already know, the real reason behind shortness of breath in COPD comes down to how damaged lungs handle air. 

 

In healthy lungs, the airways stay open and the alveoli (tiny balloon-like sacs) easily expand and release with each breath, letting oxygen move into the blood and carbon dioxide out. 

 

But in COPD, those airways get narrowed by inflammation and mucus, and many alveoli lose their elasticity or even collapse. 

 

Instead of springing back after an exhale, the lungs trap old air inside. 

 

This ‘air trapping’ keeps the chest partially inflated all the time, so when you try to take a new breath, there’s no room left. 

 

The diaphragm — your main breathing muscle — is forced to work overtime, flattening and straining just to move a little air.

 

As oxygen levels drop and carbon dioxide builds up, the brain panics, sending the urgent signal that you’re suffocating. 

 

That’s why something as small as walking to the mailbox or bending over to tie your shoes can leave you gasping for air.

 

And because COPD damage is permanent and not curable, the only way forward is to compensate. 

 

That’s where the diaphragm comes in. 

 

By making this muscle stronger and more efficient, you can help it push past trapped air, reduce the effort needed for each breath, and regain control over your breathing.

 

 

Strengthening the diaphragm

The diaphragm is the body’s main breathing muscle, sitting beneath the lungs and driving each inhale and exhale.

So, the key is learning how to make the most of the lung function that remains. 

 

That doesn’t mean fixing damaged airways or regenerating destroyed alveoli — medicine cannot do that. 

 

But the body has a natural advantage.

 

The diaphragm.

 

The diaphragm is a dome-shaped sheet of muscle that sits beneath the lungs. 

 

In healthy breathing, it contracts and moves downward, creating a vacuum that pulls fresh air into the lungs. 

 

When you exhale, it relaxes and rises, helping push air out. 

 

In COPD, this process becomes disrupted.

 

Because the lungs are often hyperinflated and filled with trapped air, the diaphragm gets pushed down and flattened. 

 

Instead of moving like a strong, flexible dome, it becomes stuck in a weak, flattened position, forcing you to rely more on the small muscles in your chest, shoulders, and neck.

 

These muscles are not designed to do the hard work of breathing, which is why people with COPD often feel constant fatigue, chest tightness, and struggle to take in enough air.

 

This is where diaphragm strengthening comes in. 

 

By specifically training the diaphragm to become stronger and more efficient, it regains some of its natural dome-like shape and power. 

 

A stronger diaphragm can generate more force with less effort, pull air deeper into the lungs despite obstruction, and help push out trapped air more effectively. 

 

Over time, this reduces the sensation of suffocation, lowers the workload on accessory muscles, and makes breathing feel smoother and more controlled. 

 

So how do you actually strengthen the diaphragm? 

 

The same way you strengthen any other muscle in the body: through resistance. 

 

Just like lifting weights forces your arms and legs to grow stronger, adding resistance to your breathing forces the diaphragm to work harder. 

 

Over time, this targeted effort makes it more powerful and efficient. 

 

This is where resistance breathing training comes in. 

 

By creating controlled resistance every time you inhale, these exercises challenge the diaphragm, building its strength and endurance. 

 

 

What is resistance breathing training

Think of resistance breathing like trying to inhale through a narrow straw. 

 

At first, it feels harder — your lungs and diaphragm have to pull stronger to get the air in. 

 

That extra effort is exactly the point. 

 

Over time, this makes it more powerful and efficient. 

 

For someone with COPD, that’s a game-changer. 

 

By giving it resistance training, you’re teaching your diaphragm to push past the obstruction, expand the lungs more fully, and move air in and out with less effort. 

 

With practice, resistance breathing makes each inhale feel smoother, each exhale more complete, and everyday movements less of a battle against suffocation.

 

Breathing device that changes everything

After years of trying everything from inhalers to steroids to rehab classes, I finally found something that made a real difference.

 

Airvera. 

 

It's a is a small device that lets you regulate how much resistance you breathe against — almost like setting the weight on a gym machine. 

 

You breathe in through the device, which creates gentle resistance, and then exhale normally through your nose.

 

The best part is that you can adjust the level of resistance. 

 

I started on the lowest setting, just a few minutes twice a day, because in the beginning even gentle resistance felt like a challenge. 

 

But as my diaphragm got stronger, I was able to turn the resistance up a notch.

 

Each time I increased the level, my breathing muscles adapted and grew more efficient, just like training any other muscle in the body.

 

The best part is that the exercises fit anywhere into your day. 

 

I practice while sitting in my favorite chair, sometimes in bed before sleep, even while watching TV. 

 

And the benefits quickly started being visible.

 

 

How my life improved since I started using AirVera

When I first started resistance breathing, I thought it would only help me catch my breath. 

 

But the changes touched every part of my life. 

 

Within two weeks I could talk on the phone without cutting conversations short.

 

By the third week I noticed something I had not felt in years, deeper and more restful sleep. 

 

I no longer woke up in the middle of the night gasping for air and that alone gave me the energy to face the day with more strength. 

 

By the fourth week my stamina improved drastically. 

 

I could join family dinners without slipping away to rest, I could sit through a church service and I even had enough energy to enjoy a movie without interruptions. 

 

By the sixth week something shifted inside me and my anxiety began to fade. 

 

I was no longer living in constant fear of the next breath.

 

Everyday tasks became manageable and life no longer felt like a fight against suffocation.

 

The benefits went beyond my lungs. 

 

Better sleep gave me clearer mornings. 

 

More energy meant I could spend real quality time with the people I love. 

 

Improved stamina opened the door to walks in the park, singing softly to the radio and even laughing without coughing fits. 

 

Reduced anxiety gave me confidence to plan ahead again. 

 

One of the biggest surprises was my blood pressure. 

 

For years it had been high, but as my diaphragm grew stronger, my lungs were able to send more pressure into stiffened blood vessels, helping them expand. 

 

This meant my heart no longer had to fight as hard to push blood through. 

 

With better circulation and more oxygen reaching my brain, the fog that clouded my thinking started to lift and the headaches I once battled began to disappear.

 

I can’t believe that just six months ago I was stuck with an oxygen mask, and today I can hike for over an hour without stopping.

 

Resistance breathing gave me more than easier breaths. 

 

It gave me back pieces of myself I thought were lost. 

 

Freedom, independence, dignity and joy.

 

Those are the things every person with COPD truly longs for, not just to breathe but to live

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Breathing used to feel like a battle I could never win. 

 

Thanks to resistance training with Airvera, I found a way to take back control of my life. 

 

If you are struggling the way I once was, there is hope. 

 

You can get your own Airvera through the link below, and the best part is that their respiratory therapist will guide you step by step so you know you are doing everything correctly. 

 

They even give you 90 days completely risk free, so if it does not work for you, you can simply send it back. 

 

For me, the results were life changing, and I believe you will feel the difference too.

 

Compared to the endless medications, hospital visits, and treatments that have cost me thousands, Airvera is a one-time investment that pays for itself in freedom and peace of mind. 

 

For me it was not just a device, it was a turning point in my life.

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