Long COVID Self-Management - Positions To Ease Shortness of Breath

Shortness of breath can make you feel scared and get you in a panic. There are a lot of positions that may help you get control of your breathing with only a little bit of effort. These positions are called positions of ease. The positions described below may help the main breathing muscle move better (reminder: the diaphragm is the main muscle used for breathing). They place your arms in positions so that the neck muscles used in breathing (“accessory muscles”) are in a better position to help with your breathing. Learn about the muscles involved in breathing below. Please note - the forward-leaning positions are performed by bending at the waist, not by rounding the back. For more information on posture, visit the the Posture page.

Remember to take rests (see the Pace Your Activities section of the Fatigue Management page) and use these positions before you start noticing more shortness of breath. There is not one position that will suit everyone. Try different positions and see what works best for you. You can also try different breathing techniques while in these positions to help ease your shortness of breath.

Lying

High Side Lying

Lie on your side propped up by pillows supporting your head and neck. Bend your knees and place a pillow between your knees. Place a pillow in front of you to rest your arm.

Semi-Reclined or Half Lying Position

Lie on your back in a semi-reclined position with a pillow behind your head and under your knees. You can adapt this position by propping yourself up with pillows as in the high lie position, use a reclining chair or raise the head of your bed on blocks.

Sitting

Forward Lean Sitting

Sitting at a table, lean forward from the waist with your arms resting on the pillows, rest your head and neck on your arms or pillow.

Forward Lean Sitting (No Table)

Sitting on a chair, lean forward to rest your forearms on your lap or the armrests of a chair.

Standing

Lean with your back supported against a wall, your arms by your side, your feet slightly apart and about a foot from the wall.

Backward Lean Standing

Lean with your back supported against a wall, your arms by your side, your feet slightly apart and about a foot from the wall.

Forward Lean Standing

Standing in front of a table, lean forward onto your hands or forearms. You could also lean onto a window sill, a stable firm chair or other stable surface.

Muscles Involved in Breathing

Diaphragm

The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that plays the biggest role during breathing. When taking a breath in, it tightens up and moves down. When breathing out, it relaxes and returns to its original shape.

Intercostal Muscles

These muscles are attached between the ribs. They help change the width of the ribcage when breathing in and out.

Accessory Muscles

These neck muscles help with moving the chest wall upwards.

When breathing becomes harder, the neck muscles become more active. The abdominal muscles also become active when a person forces out their breath or when the lungs become less elastic. In this case, the abdominal muscles will tighten up and pull the ribs down. This causes the organs around the abdomen to be pressed up toward the diaphragm. The result is less volume available for air in the chest.