Hospital Beds
How Can Hospital Beds Help With COPD?
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How Can Hospital Beds Help With COPD? Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects over 17 million people in North America, with more living with the problems undiagnosed. One part of daily living that often worsens the problem is lying flat on their back. An adjustable hospital bed could be what patients with COPD need to breathe easier while sleeping and get the rest they need to raise their quality of life.
COPD covers a group of chronic conditions that affect the lungs to create breathing difficulties, including emphysema and bronchitis. The main symptoms are breathlessness, a chesty cough, frequent chest infections, and wheezing. Many people with COPD experience flare-ups, where their symptoms become more severe due to environmental factors. These often happen when the weather gets colder and the indoor air is dryer.
Those with COPD are also at an increased risk of developing pneumonia.
All this can make it hard to maintain sleep quality. There are ways for patients with COPD to ease their symptoms. Medication, such as inhalers, can make breathing easier. Lifestyle changes like smoking cessation can also prevent further damage to the lungs. But it can still be challenging to get a good night’s sleep; the changes in breathing patterns during normal sleep can reduce blood oxygen, complicating COPD even further.
For those who need a bit of help, especially at night, an adjustable hospital bed can be the key to restful sleep without coughing interruptions. When combined with medications and physician-prescribed lifestyle changes, changing one’s sleeping arrangements can be the key to managing COPD’s night-time symptoms and diminishing the risk of further medical issues.
Those trying to manage the symptoms can have a lot of trouble sleeping in ordinary flat beds. They can’t get comfortable, their chest feels congested, and their ragged breathing can wake them up just when they fall asleep. Lying flat increases pressure on the chest cavity, effectively forcing it to fight downward pressure to get the chest to rise and fall efficiently. Sleeping in an angled position reduces that pressure and allows the chest to rise and fall more freely.
According to medical institutions like the Cleveland Clinic, sleeping in certain positions may ease shortness of breath, the build-up of mucus in the lungs, and other common symptoms of COPD. The patient can use the bed to elevate their head and knees, and they may find this relieves symptoms and raises their sleep quality. It also simplifies their resting experience – the patient will no longer have to contend with a high stack of pillows that move around constantly.
Getting restful sleep is essential to breathing and functioning well the next day. Breathing easier upon waking up makes it easier for the user to prepare for the day ahead. They can get washed and dressed independently or with reduced assistance.
The hospital bed may also halt the advance of more severe lung issues. As mentioned above, patients with COPD are at a higher risk of developing pneumonia. In a flat bed, fluid can build up in the chest through the night, but a hospital bed lets the user elevate their upper body. The elevation gathers this fluid at the bottom of the lungs rather than letting it spread throughout, maximizing lung capacity and letting the patient cough with enough force to move the remaining fluid.
SonderCare hospital beds allow the user to sleep in many different helpful positions. One of these is the Semi-Fowler position; this is where a patient positions themselves on their back with the head and trunk raised to between 15 and 45 degrees (30 degrees is the most useful bed angle for these conditions). Because the Semi-Fowler position encourages gravity to pull the diaphragm downward, it may improve lung expansion and ventilation to decrease the issues that keep them up.
COPD is a serious medical condition that affects breathing and it drastically impacts the sleep quality and lifestyle of those suffering from it. Adding a SonderCare home hospital bed can be one of the lifestyle changes those with COPD can easily make. When the user can elevate their head and chest at the touch of a button, they’ll find managing symptoms and achieving nighttime relief is within their reach.
There are ways to manage the symptoms of COPD but currently no way to cure it. Specialists recommend medication, supplemental oxygen and surgery as three viable clinical methods of treatment. Additionally, lifestyle changes can help prevent worsening of the symptoms including avoiding smoking or second-hand smoke, eating healthy & moderate exercise.
As previously mentioned, COPD can make it difficult to get quality, restful sleep. This is partly because of the medications that are prescribed to treat the symptoms of this illness, but also changes in breathing patterns that occur during normal sleep which may worsen and complicate COPD since they reduce blood oxygen. According to the Cleveland Clinic and other Medical institutions, sleeping in certain positions can help ease the symptoms of COPD, including shortness of breath and a build of mucus in your lungs. Positioning yourself with your head and knees slightly elevated is suggested. Adjustable beds with the ability to raise the head and knees sections with the touch of a button can help simplify the proper positioning for comfort with ease. |
Having COPD makes breathing easier when you’re sitting up rather than lying down. While sitting can make it difficult to sleep, sleeping in a sitting position can interfere with your ability to sleep. However, lying flat can also be problematic. Lying flat decreases blood oxygen levels and slows lung function.
Always consult with a medical professional first. Some professionals recommend positioning yourself with your head elevated with pillows and a pillow between your legs, lying on your side. Maintain a straight back. A pillow should be placed under your knees and your head elevated on your back.
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