Air Trapping in Lungs: How Smoking Can Cause Breathlessness

Discover how smoking can cause air trapping in the lungs and leads to shortness of breath. Learn about COPD in simple terms and how physiotherapy can help. If you smoke, imagine you're a friend of mine and we're sitting at a pub table having a chat about cigarettes.

I'm going to explain this the same way I would to my friends.

What I want to explain is what can happen when smoking has already caused changes in the lungs. Once you understand this, it becomes easier to see why some people begin to experience so much breathlessness.

I'm talking here about traditional cigarettes. Vaping can also cause lung disease, but in different ways, and we're still learning about many of its long-term effects.

Now, think about breathing.

What Is Air Trapping in the Lungs?

Now, think about breathing. You fill your lungs with air, then empty them, and repeat this cycle thousands of times every day.

But in some people who have smoked for many years, a problem develops: air gets in, but it has difficulty getting out completely. Some of it becomes trapped inside the lungs.

And this is where an example helps.

Imagine two 200 mL glasses.

You want to pour 200 mL of water from one glass into the other.

But the glass that's going to receive the water already has 50 mL in it.

The result? It can only take another 150 mL.

Something similar happens in the lungs.

If part of the available space is already occupied by trapped air, there's less room for fresh, oxygen-rich air to come in.

Over the years, smoking can cause inflammation, narrow the airways, and demage the tiny air (alveoli) where oxygen exchange takes place. This means that more and more air becomes trapped, making it harder to exchange stale air for fresh air.

That's why many people begin to feel breathless when walking, climbing stairs, or carrying out simple day-to-day activities.

The body may respond by making the heart beat faster because the body needs more oxygen, but the lungs can no longer provide that amount as efficiently as they once could.

And there's an interesting detail here.

Many people think they need to work harder to pull more air in.

But in many cases, the problem isn't getting more air into the lungs.

It's getting the old air out.

That's why there are breathing techniques and specific exercises that can help improve exhalation, reduce air trapping, and ease the sensation of breathlessness. These exercises should be guided by a respiratory physiotherapist or a respiratory specialist.

These changes can develop after years of exposure to cigarette smoke, but they can also occur in people who have been exposed for long periods to wood-burning stove smoke, mining dust, and other inhaled substances.

So, if you smoke or have smoked for many years and you've noticed breathlessness, consider seeing a respiratory specialist or a respiratory physiotherapist. The earlier an assessment is carried out, the greater the chances of controlling symptoms and preserving your quality of life.

I hope I've managed to explain, in a simple way, a small part of what happens in COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).

If you haven't managed to quit yet, don't hesitate to seek help. Alongside trying to cut down or stop smoking, there are treatments and strategies that can help reduce the risks and improve quality of life.