Green zone – under control

Your asthma is under control if:

• you have no cough or wheeze
• your breathing feels good
• your sleeping is not disturbed by coughing
• you are able to do your usual activities
• you are not missing school
• peak flow is around your best (over seven years).

Green zone actions

Take your daily medicine when you are well.

Take your reliever when you have a wheeze, cough or shortness of breath.

Take two reliever puffs, 15 minutes before exercise, if required.

Remember, take your blue reliever inhaler every four hours when you start a cold or if you are exposed to any of your triggers.

If peak flow is lower than normal and there are no improvements in your symptoms, move to the amber zone.

Amber zone – warning

Your asthma is getting worse if:

• you wake at night with a cough or wheeze
• you have a cough, wheeze or tight chest
• you need your blue inhaler more than usual – more than three to four times a week
• your reliever is not lasting four hours
• your peak flow is down.

Amber zone actions

Continue your normal medicines and take two to four puffs of the blue inhaler, using your spacer, one puff at a time.

You can do this every four hours but you must make an appointment at your GP surgery within the next 24 hours.

If you need to do this more than every four hours, you must see your GP today or go to A&E.

Start keeping a record of your symptoms and peak flow readings to take with you.

If you are not responding, take 10 puffs. If 10 puffs of the blue inhaler via the spacer is not working, or its effect is lasting less than four hours, and you have increasing wheeze or chest tightness move to the red zone.

Red zone – severe 

Asthma can be life threatening. If after 10 puffs of the blue inhaler you experience any of the following symptoms, you should act.

• Breathing hard and fast.
• Feeling tight and wheezy.
• Too breathless to say a sentence.
• Feeling frightened and exhausted.

Red zone actions

• Sit up straight.
• Using your spacer, take one puff of reliever inhaler, breathing at a normal rate for four to five breaths, every 30 to 60 seconds for a maximum of 10 puffs.
• Stay where you are and keep calm.
• If you feel worse or don’t feel better after 10 puffs, call 999 and repeat 10 puffs every 15 minutes until an ambulance arrives.

Useful resources

• www.beatasthma.co.uk
• www.asthma.org.uk

Asthma management plan

Have a copy of this plan if you are visiting your GP or need emergency treatment.