Peak flowmeters offer you and your doctor a way to track your asthma daily. The peak flow readings will tell you how much air you are able to breath out (exhale) quickly. If the numbers are lower than normal, it may mean that your airways are getting narrower and that you cannot breathe out as quickly.

It is important to do a peak flow test EACH MORNING AND EVENING

There are different types of peak flowmeters available but all have numbers on them that will reflect your reading. On the peak flowmeter there will be a marker or arrow that will move up to a number when you perform the test. JPEG 19 KB

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Canadian Consensus Guidelines for asthma care suggest if a prson's need for rescue medication exceeds 3-04 times a week, you may need to check your medication route with your doctor.

How to do Peak Flowmeter Monitoring

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Reset the marker or arrow to zero	While sitting up or standing blow all the air out of your lungs
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Take a deep breath in, place the mouth piece between your teeth and seal your lips tightly	Blow out once very HARD and FAST - almost as if you were coughing or blowing out a candle quickly This is very important so that the test will be reliable
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Observe what value the arrow or marker went to.	Reset the arrow or marker to zero and repeat 2 more times. Record the best of the 3 tries on a monitoring sheet like the one below, or a regular piece of paper along with the date and time.

REMEMBER

• do this test every morning and evening
• record the numbers
• discuss what your normal number for this test should be with your doctor
• use this test to see how your asthma is doing
• contact your doctor if your numbers drop