All Asthmatics Should Use This! By Jennifer Kennedy on Jul 02, 2009 - Updated Sep 18, 2011

My eldest son was diagnosed with asthma when he was four years old, he was put on the usual medication, inhalers and steriod based tablets, along with his mediction I was given a gadget called a peak flow meter, which I must admit has came in handy over the 6 years which my son has had asthma.

What does a peak flow meter look like?

Some peak flows may differ, however the one I was given is blue and white with a yellow strip running down one side, the yellow strip is numbered from one to a hundred, along here there is a small blue indicator, which will measure the breath in litres per minute. The peak flow is a cylinder shape, which thins a the top. (mouth piece). The Peak flow comes in a see through plastic casing, complete with a peak flow measurement chart.

Using the peak flow

The peak flow is easy to use, take a deep breath and blow into the meter, the indicator will move and show your reading, this process should be repeated three times, just to ensure you have the correct reading, once you have your reading you should record this on the chart provided.

Peak flow readings

The reading will differ between adults and children, readings for an adult male would be 627 litres per minute, for an adult female the reading would be 427 litres per minute, but a childs reading would be 254 litres per minute, these readings are on a good day, readings lower than this will indicate that you will need to increase your medication.

My opinion

Using the peak flow meter has made my life much easier, the peak flow allows me to keep my sons condition under control, I would highly recommend this for all asthma sufferers!

Thanks for reading