LIVING WELL WITH ASTHMA
Testing Your Lung Function
With a Peak Flow Meter
Many Asthma Action Plans are based on peak flow meter readings. A
peak flow meter is a simple, hand-held device you can use at home
or at the health-care provider’s office to measure how well you are
breathing. By using a peak flow meter at home every day, you can
identify breathing problems early, sometimes before you even notice
any symptoms. A peak flow meter helps you and your health-care
provider recognize early signs of an asthma flare. It also helps measure
how severely an asthma attack is affecting you.
There are many different kinds of peak flow meters. Each has a
mouthpiece for breathing into, a marker that moves up a meter
depending on how quickly you can exhale, and a series of measures.
You may need to experiment with a few different peak flow meters
to find the device that suits you best. In addition to manual devices
described here, there are also electronic, digital peak flow meters
available.
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