Do your lungs a favour and take a deep breath

Zurich (dpa) – Sighing can ease lung function, with deep breathing playing a crucial role in restoring the lung's pliability, say scientists in an international study, in findings that could point to new ways of treating lung problems in future. Our lungs expand when we inhale and contract when we exhale. During this process, the tissue and surface of the organ provide resistance. The fluid on the surface of the lungs reduces this resistance, especially after deep breaths, says the study led by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH). "The fluid wets the entire surface, making the lung more deformable or to use a technical term, more compliant," says study leader Jan Vermant in an ETH statement about the research. That makes breathing easier, as the more compliant the organ is, the less resistance there is when it contracts and expands. The team examined how lung fluid behaves under different scenarios, simulating the movements of normal and particularly deep breaths. They measured the surface tension of the fluid in a series of laboratory experiments. "This tension influences how compliant the lung is," says Vermant, of the study published in Science Advances. The measurements showed that the surface tension significantly decreases after deep breaths, which could explain the liberating feeling you get in your chest after a deep sigh, say the researchers. The fluid on the surface of the lung, which ensures that the organ can expand and contract well during inhalation and exhalation, is multilayered, the scientists suggest. Ideally, the top layer should be stiffer while the layers beneath should be softer and more delicate, says lead author Maria Novaes-Silva. When you take only shallow breaths, and the fluid moves only slightly, the layering of the fluid decreases over time. But by occasionally taking deep breaths, you can restore the ideal layering, she says. This aligns with clinical observations that suggest breathing becomes increasingly difficult with consistently shallow breathing, the group says. The following information is not intended for publication dpa oe xxde arw

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