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Housecall Archives
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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Mayo Clinic Housecall
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When to see a doctor
By Mayo Clinic staffCall 911 or get emergency medical help if you have:
- Severe shortness of breath that comes on suddenly and affects your ability to function
- Severe shortness of breath with headache, insomnia, fluid retention and cough at high elevations (above 8,000 feet) — these are symptoms of high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), which can be fatal without appropriate care
See your doctor as soon as possible if you have:
- Shortness of breath after slight exertion or when you're at rest
- Shortness of breath that gets worse when you exercise or are physically active
- Abrupt awakenings with shortness of breath or with a dry throat and mouth — these may be symptoms of sleep apnea
Self-care
To help keep chronic shortness of breath from getting worse:
- Stop smoking. If you've been diagnosed with COPD or other lung disease, the single most important thing you can do is to quit smoking.
- Avoid passive smoke. In addition to quitting smoking, it's important to avoid places where others smoke. Secondhand smoke can cause further lung damage.
- Get regular exercise. It may seem difficult to exercise when you have trouble breathing, but regular exercise can improve your overall strength and endurance and strengthen your respiratory muscles.
