50 percent lung capacity is bad and can indicate that you have a significant respiratory issue.
A 50 percent lung capacity is a moderate to severe restriction in your lung function and also suggests that your lungs are only able to handle half of the air that they should be able to handle which can impact your overall health and daily activities.
Normal lung capacity and normal lung function is often 80 percent or more of a predicted value.
The reduced lung capacity means that your lungs are not effectively delivering oxygen to your body and removing carbon dioxide.
Symptoms of 50 percent lung capacity or a reduced lung capacity are shortness of breath, especially during exertion and even wheezing and trouble breathing.
Conditions such as COPD, "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease", asthma or even restrictive lung diseases can also cause reduced lung capacity.
And treatment options can be available and work to manage or improve lung function depending on the severity and cause of the reduced lung function or lung capacity.
The best way to regain lung capacity is to do some consistent diaphragmatic breathing exercises as well as getting active and doing regular physical activity and if you smoke you should stop smoking and maintain a healthy diet.
Diaphragmatic breathing is also known as belly breathing and involves breathing deeply into your diaphragm, which is a muscle at the bottom of your chest.
The diaphragmatic breathing helps to maximize lung expansion.
To perform the diaphragmatic breathing, lay on your back with one of your hands on your stomach and the other hand on your chest.
Then inhale deeply through your nose, feeling your stomach rise and then exhale slowly through pursed lips.
Pursed lip breathing and alternate nostril breathing as well a deep breath holds can also help you regain and maintain lung capacity.
To do pursed lip breathing, inhale through your nostrils and exhale slowly through pursed lips as if you're blowing through a straw.
To do alternate nostril breathing, sit comfortably, close on nostril with your thumb and then inhale through the other nostril, then close that nostril and exhale through the first.
The best vitamin for lung repair is vitamin A, C, D and E along with omega 3 fatty acids and magnesium which all play a crucial role in supporting your lung health and can protect your lungs against damage and respiratory illnesses.
Vitamin A is important for immune function and for protecting against respiratory infections and vitamin c is an antioxidant that can help reduce oxidative damage in your lungs and improve your lung function, and especially in people that have COPD.
Vitamin D plays a role in lung immunity and can help prevent respiratory infections and exacerbations of lung conditions like bronchiectasis and COPD and vitamin E which is another antioxidant can help to protect your lung tissue from damage.
Magnesium can help improve your lung function and reduce your risk of developing COPD and omega 3 fatty acids can help improve your lung function and reduce the length of possible stays in intensive care units for people that have acute lung injury.
The medication that is used to improve lung function is bronchodilators.
Common bronchodilator medications that are used for improving lung function include albuterol, montelukast, theophylline and salmeterol.
Other medications that are used for improving lung function includes inhaled corticosteroids such as budesonide and fluticasone which helps to relax your airway muscles and reduce inflammation as well as improve the airflow.