Your Daily Treatment Plan

Your health care team will work with you to design a daily treatment plan. The goal is to control your asthma and prevent symptoms. You'll learn how to tell when your asthma is getting out of control. You'll also find out what to do if it does. You may be asked to keep a diary of your symptoms and your use of medications to show your health care team. This helps them create the best plan for you.

Monitoring your breathing

Measuring how well you can quickly push air out of your lungs can help tell you how open your airways are. This is called peak flow monitoring. Your health care team will tell you when and how often to monitor your breathing.

Using medications

Your treatment plan will tell you which medications to use and when to use them. Some medications help reduce airway inflammation over time (long-term control medications). This helps prevent flare-ups and helps keep your asthma from getting worse. Other medications help open airways quickly during a flare-up (quick-relief medications).

Controlling triggers

If you're around triggers too often or too long, your airways can become inflamed. This makes flare-ups more likely. Your treatment plan will tell you how to avoid your triggers and what to do if you can't avoid them.

Exercising regularly

Many people with asthma have symptoms during or after exercise. But, with treatment, exercise can help make you feel better. Your treatment plan will help you exercise safely.

Asthma zones

If needed, you'll be given an action plan that tells you what to do if your asthma gets out of control. These plans are often based on the asthma zones listed below. Your health care team will explain how your symptoms or peak flow numbers can help you know which zone you're in.

Note: If you are not staying in your green zone, discuss your daily medication plan with your health care provider.

Green zone: under control

When you're in your green zone, you feel good. Your asthma doesn't get in the way of work, activities, or sleep. You're doing a good job controlling your asthma.

Action: Keep following your daily treatment plan.

Yellow zone: caution

When you're in your yellow zone, you're heading for a flare-up. Your airways are becoming swollen and inflamed. You may have no symptoms. Or, you may have warning signs like coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, or shortness of breath. Your asthma may keep you from doing some normal activities. Take action right away.

Action: Take the medications suggested in your action plan. Get away from your triggers.

Red zone: medical alert

When you're in your red zone, you're having a flare-up. You are most likely having symptoms like an ongoing cough or wheeze, chest tightness, or trouble breathing. Stop and take action.

Action: Take your quick-relief medication and any other medications your action plan suggests.

Then talk to your health care provider right away or go to the hospital. Call 911 (emergency) instead if you are struggling to breathe, can't walk or talk because of shortness of breath, or your lips or fingernails are turning blue.