Try These Natural Ways To Keep Your Oxygen Levels Steady

These ways can help you to naturally keep up your oxygen level and enhance your lung capacity.

Silver Talkies reached out to experts for a few ways by which you can naturally improve your oxygen levels. Bhavani Swaminathan, nutritionist, member of the Indian Dietetic Association, Certified Diabetes Educator and founder of Aakanksha Desire For Wellness has enlisted a couple of exercises that would help enhance your lung capacity. Here’s how you can keep your oxygen level steady the natural way.

“Following and practicing these four simple breathing exercises can help to bolster one’s lung capacity. You must practice them for 10 minutes on a daily basis in the morning or evening,” says Swaminathan.

Uthhan Mandukasana: Sit in Vajrasana or Sukhasana. Keep your thighs slightly apart from each other. Let your right hand touch your left shoulder and left hand touch your right shoulder. Close your eyes and breathe in and out normally. Repeat this 10 to 12 times.

Hands up hands down breathing: Sit in Vajrasana. Let your hands go up when you breathe in and hands down when you breathe out. Breathe in with your nose and breathe out through your mouth. Repeat this for 10 to 12 times.

Anulom Vilom: Sit in Vajrasana. Inhale through one nostril and exhale through the other. When you inhale from one nostril, keep the other nostril blocked with your fingers, and the same when you exhale from the other nostril. Ensure that your head bends to the back while inhaling and bends forward while exhaling. Do this for 20 times at least.

Bhramari: Cover your ears with your thumb and place the four fingers on your head. Breathe in and produce a humming sound. Repeat this 5 to 7 times.

Other ways by which you can improve oxygen levels

Include antioxidants in your diet: Antioxidants enable your body to make use of oxygen more efficiently, enhancing your oxygen intake in digestion. Include kidney beans or rajma, tomatoes, barley, strawberries, blackberries, plums, spinach, and broccoli in your diet. Have these in the form of a curry or juices and smoothies. Also, essential fatty acids like Vitamin F play an important role in increasing the amount of oxygen in hemoglobin. You must eat Vitamin F-rich foods like soybeans, walnuts, and flaxseeds.

Walk for at least 30 minutes: Lockdown, so what? Utilize the space in your rooms, balconies, rooftops, or private gardens, and walk every day for at least 30 minutes. Walking is a great aerobic exercise that helps your body to utilize oxygen better and remove wastes through the lymphatic system. In addition to improving your oxygen levels, walking also enhances mood, and confidence and reduces stress which are crucial during times of social distancing and isolation.

Clean the air inside: Now that we are locked inside our homes and hardly have access to open spaces with fresh air, it is important to keep the air indoors fresh. This is when your home garden and interior plants can help. Adding plants such as the areca palm, snake plant, money plant, and peace lily can increase the oxygen in your home naturally. Also, instead of going for artificial air purifiers, try out natural air purifiers like salt lamps, beeswax candles, and bamboo charcoal to keep the air clean within the four walls.

Stay hydrated: Water plays an important role in ensuring appropriate body functions like allowing body cells to grow, lubricating our joints, and regulating body temperature. Drink filtered water for improving oxygenation as restructured and ionized water offers high levels of hydration and oxygenation at the cellular level. Remember to stay away from caffeinated beverages, alcohol, and high-sodium foods that dehydrate your body.

Hope these hacks help you in keeping your oxygen levels steady and strengthening your body to tackle the pandemic. Practice these, remain inside, stay safe and take care. This too shall pass!