Your lungs know more about you than they realise. They lose strength as you age, but simple steps can help you check their condition – and even improve your breathing.
How old are your lungs?
Every breath we take is not only oxygen, but also thousands of invisible “travelling companions”: dust, germs, allergens, car exhaust. All of these bombard our lungs every day, causing them to age faster, and with them the whole body.
In May 2025, an international team of scientists published one of the first large-scale studies on how lung function changes throughout life. They analysed the histories of 30,000 men and women over the 20th century and found that lungs were strongest in their twenties. In women, “peak breathing” occurs a little earlier than in men and then begins a slow descent.
This is a natural part of the level of the Respiratory Medicine Clinic at the University of Kent. The term was first coined by the English surgeon John Hutchinson back in the 1840s. He noticed that people with low levels lived shorter lives.
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According to the American Lung Association, even healthy non-smokers lose about 0.2 litres every ten years. Normally, this figure ranges from three to five litres.
And if your result is lower, don’t rush to panic. “Many people simply find it difficult to take a full exhalation and the numbers can be underestimated,” reassures Dickinson.
Lungs and whole-body health
As we age, our lungs don’t work as well as they did when we were younger. Tissue loses elasticity, respiratory muscles weaken, and the rib cage becomes less mobile. All of this leads to shortness of breath, and in severe cases, inflammation can spread throughout the body.
Why it’s important to protect your lungs
Healthy lungs work like a shield – they help you stay strong and active even as you age.
“Yes, their capacity decreases over the years,” explains John Dickinson, “but in a healthy person it’s enough to oxygenate the body.
However, the doctor advises not to delay with checks. Even if you feel well, a professional check-up should be done at least once every ten years. And if you have shortness of breath or other breathing problems, you should immediately contact specialists.
Clinics use a spirometer, a device that accurately determines the vital capacity of the lungs and the rate of exhalation. This is a simple test that can timely show the beginning of serious problems.
How to strengthen the lungs
Light wind instruments.
In New York, asthma patients were taught to play a whistling flute to improve their breathing.
“When a person sings long phrases, they learn to control their breathing, diaphragm and intercostal muscles,” explains Mette Kaasgaard, a professor at the University of Southern Denmark and classical singer.
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Whether you choose sports, specialised training or music, your lungs will thank you. They’ll work easier, have more endurance, and help you pass the test.
Breath after breath is an investment in your life.