Staying healthy during self isolation

In addition, long periods of being at home and not doing your usual activities will obviously limit your activity levels and put you at other health risks from immobility. There are a lot of recommendations flying around on the internet- not all are very useful or indeed safe! Below are some suggestions to support you through this time. These tips are aimed at people in the “at risk” group but many tips are useful for us all!

1. If you use inhalers, please make sure you are using your preventative inhaler as directed every day. This is the inhaler that keeps the inflammation in your lungs under control. It is important to take this regardless of how you feel. The blue inhaler continue to take as needed when you feel wheezy. Make sure you are taking your inhalers correctly- you should inhale the medication and hold it in for 10 seconds before breathing out. If you are unable to do this you should ask your GP surgery to send you a spacer- this allows you to breathe in and out for 10 seconds while the medication remains in the chamber.
2. Keep hydrated. Take regular drinks throughout the day- tea and coffee are ok but are diuretics- so ensure water/herbal tea/squash drinks are drunk regularly too.
3. Eat a healthy diet. It is tempting to comfort eat easily accessible food at these times but our immunity is dependent on a good diet with plenty of vitamins and minerals needed- especially Vitamin C and Zinc. So ensure you have plenty of vegetables and fruit in your diet every day. Frozen and tinned are just as good and easier to store for long periods when getting supplies are difficult.
4. Get enough rest and sleep. A lot of our immune system is rebuilt while we sleep. So don’t underestimate how important sleeping is to stay healthy.
5. Keep active! If you have exercise programmes to do at home, do prioritise them and keep moving regularly through the day. Avoid sitting for long periods. Even if you just do a few sit to stands every hour. This helps to keep your body healthy but also your lungs and cardiovascular system. Get a little out of breath if you can – if indoors have the windows open to allow fresh air to circulate. Having windows open when able is generally a good idea to keep particles flowing through rather than stagnating in centrally heated environments.
6. Get outside as often as you can. Getting out in your garden breathing in fresh air is good not only for your lungs and health but also for your mental health!
7. Breathing exercises- there is little current evidence that breathing exercises or respiratory physio can help with COVID-19 symptoms as it is a non productive cough. However, improving your lung capacity, ribcage flexibility and opening up the bases of your lungs will improve your overall lung health and is worth doing especially if you are going to be less active than normal. Many of us don’t breathe using the whole of our lungs. The bases of our lungs can be collapsed and the alveoli (where we exchange gases during breathing) sit gathering particles. Being sedentary and sitting in a flexed position exacerbates this further.
   Try doing this exercise hourly to maintain/improve your lung function:
8. Sit up as tall as you can and if possible away from the back of the chair.
9. Take a slow, deep breath trying to open wide at the base of your ribs and with your tummy expanding outwards.
10. Hold for a few seconds if able to without straining (this allows extra time for the oxygen to reach the base of your lungs, however holding your breath can increase blood pressure so only hold what you can comfortably)
11. Breathe out slowly, relaxing the ribs. Try and breathe through your nose.
12. Repeat 3-5 times.
13. The more you do it, the easier it should become. Don’t worry if you can only manage a short breath to begin with, like any exercise it takes practise.
14. Stay in regular phone and digital contact with your friends and family- keeping happy is important and is vital for your immune system as well as your mental health. BUT do heed government guidance for staying at home- social distancing is our best defence at this point.
15. If you become unwell, continue with the advice above as able. Isolate yourself from others in the house. Rest, hydrate and take paracetamol for a high temperature. Current information has suggested avoiding ibuprofen as this may potentially worsen symptoms but the evidence is not clear. NHS advice recommends avoiding ibuprofen and using paracetamol but do not stop any medications you take usually. If your breathing becomes difficult, contact 111 coronavirus support for advice and support. See: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-advice/for further NHS guidance. Please avoid unsubstantiated reports and advice on social media and use factual sites such as the NHS.

We hope this advice is useful over the coming months. Please feel free to contact us via phone (07951 466232) or email () for any help or advice at this time. We can also offer remote appointments using Zoom/facetime if needed.

Stay safe and well!