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The diaphragm is a large muscle that sits below the lungs. It helps move air in and out of the lungs.

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Emphysema is a lung condition that causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the air sacs in the lungs (alveoli) are damaged. Over time, the inner walls of the air sacs weaken and rupture — creating larger air spaces instead of many small ones. This reduces the surface area of the lungs and, in turn, the amount of oxygen that reaches your bloodstream.

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When you exhale, the damaged alveoli don't work properly and old air becomes trapped, leaving no room for fresh, oxygen-rich air to enter.

Most people with emphysema also have chronic bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis is inflammation of the tubes that carry air to your lungs (bronchial tubes), which leads to a persistent cough.

Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are two conditions that make up chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Treatment may slow the progression of COPD, but it can't reverse the damage.

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You can have emphysema for many years without noticing any signs or symptoms. The main symptom of emphysema is shortness of breath, which usually begins gradually.

You may start avoiding activities that cause you to be short of breath, so the symptom doesn't become a problem until it starts interfering with daily tasks. Emphysema eventually causes shortness of breath even while you're at rest.

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The main cause of emphysema is long-term exposure to airborne irritants, including:

Tobacco smoke

Marijuana smoke

Air pollution

Chemical fumes and dust

Rarely, emphysema is caused by an inherited deficiency of a protein that protects the elastic structures in the lungs. It's called alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency emphysema.

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Shortness of breath or breathing difficulties can be a frightening symptom, whether it is something that has happened to you ‘out of the blue’ or something you have had to learn to live with through chronic disease.

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The medical term is dyspnoea. Shortness of breath can be subjective, in other words, when we are not breathing as we normally do. We may feel that we cannot take a deep breath in, or that our breathing is shallower and faster than normal, or difficult and uncomfortable. This may affect us when sitting still or only when we exert ourselves.

Real breathlessness can be related to many physical factors within our body and our environment and how we are feeling in ourselves. If we are feeling anxious our symptoms may worsen and a vicious cycle develops.

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Normal breathing is relatively shallow and does not use the full capacity of the lungs. Diaphragmatic breathing is a deep breathing exercise that fully engages the diaphragm and increases the efficiency of the lungs.

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The diaphragm is a large muscle that sits at the base of the lungs. When a person inhales, their diaphragm contracts and moves downward, creating space for the lungs to expand and fill with air. When a person exhales, the diaphragm relaxes and moves upward, helping move air out of the lungs.

Diaphragmatic breathing, or “belly breathing,” involves fully engaging the stomach, abdominal muscles, and diaphragm when breathing. This means actively pulling the diaphragm down with each inward breath. In this way, diaphragmatic breathing helps the lungs fill more efficiently.

Breathing is a natural process that usually occurs without conscious effort. However, the average breath tends to be shallow and does not engage the diaphragm very much.

During diaphragmatic breathing, a person consciously engages their diaphragm in order to take deeper breaths. A person will notice their stomach rising and falling. They will also feel an expanding or stretching sensation in the stomach, rather than solely in their chest and shoulders.

# data[].attributes.body
The diaphragm is a large muscle that sits at the base of the lungs. When a person inhales, their diaphragm contracts and moves downward, creating space for the lungs to expand and fill with air. When a person exhales, the diaphragm relaxes and moves upward, helping move air out of the lungs.

Diaphragmatic breathing, or “belly breathing,” involves fully engaging the stomach, abdominal muscles, and diaphragm when breathing. This means actively pulling the diaphragm down with each inward breath. In this way, diaphragmatic breathing helps the lungs fill more efficiently.

Breathing is a natural process that usually occurs without conscious effort. However, the average breath tends to be shallow and does not engage the diaphragm very much.

During diaphragmatic breathing, a person consciously engages their diaphragm in order to take deeper breaths. A person will notice their stomach rising and falling. They will also feel an expanding or stretching sensation in the stomach, rather than solely in their chest and shoulders.