How to Use Your Peak Flow Meter

• Between noon and 2 pm each day
• Each time you take your quick-relief medicine to relieve symptoms.  (Measure your peak flow after you take your medicine.)
• Any other time your doctor suggests

	Your peak flows zones are based on your personal best peak flow number.  The zones will help you check your asthma and take the right actions to keep it controlled.  The colors used with each zone come from the traffic light.
	Green Zone (80 to 100 percent of your personal best) signals good control.  Take your usual daily long-term control medicines, if you take any.  Keep taking these medicines even when you are in the yellow or red zones.
	Yellow Zone (50 to 79 percent of your personal best) signals caution: your asthma is getting worse.  Add quick-relief medicines.  You might need to increase other asthma medicines as directed by your doctor.
	Red Zone (below 50 percent of your personal best) signals medical alert!  Add or increase quick-relief medicines and call your doctor now.

• The peak flow numbers for your green, yellow and red zones.  Mark the zones on your peak flow meter with colored tape or a marker.
• The medicines you should take while in each peak flow zone.

1.  Move the marker to the bottom of the numbered scale.
2.  Stand or sit up straight.
3.  Take a deep breath.  Fill your lungs all the way.
4.  Hold your breath while you place the mouthpiece in your mouth, between your teeth.  Close your lips around it.  Do not put your tongue inside the hole.
5.  Blow out as hard and fast as you can.  Your peak flow meter will measure how fast you can blow out air.
6.  Write down the number you get.  But if you cough or make a mistake, do not write down the number.  Do it over again.
7.  Repeat steps 1 through 6 two more times.  Write down the highest of the three numbers.  This is your peak flow number.
8.  Check to see which peak flow zone your peak flow number is in.  Do the actions your doctor told you to do while in that zone.

Your doctor may ask you to write down your peak flow numbers each day.  You can do this on a calendar or other paper.  This will help you and your doctor see how your asthma is doing over time.

• Every morning when you wake up, before you take medicine.  Make this part of your daily routine.
• When you are having asthma symptoms or an attack.  And after taking medicine for the attack.  This can tell you how bad your asthma attack is and whether your medicine is working.
• Any other time your doctor suggests.
• If you use more than one peak flow meter (such as at home and at school), be sure that both meters are the same brand.

• Your peak flow meter
• Your peak flow numbers if you have written them down each day.
• Also, ask your doctor or nurse to check how you use your peak flow meter -- just to be sure you are doing it right.