Asthma is a medical condition that can create shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. It tends to interfere with a patient's daily activities and can be quite a handful to deal with.
Unfortunately, asthma can't be cured, so it is something one will have to deal with their entire life if diagnosed. However, it can be managed to minimize its effects. Here are some great iPhone and Android apps that will help you manage your asthma efficiently.
1. Propeller
With over 100,000 users worldwide, Propeller is one of the best apps for asthma patients out there. It works by closely following your treatment and medication plan to aid you in controlling your asthma with its sensor.
The Propeller sensor attaches to a patient's asthma inhaler, collects data about their medication, and stores all that information in the Propeller app. A personalized profile is then made according to the information collected. The app gives you reminders in the form of chimes and push notifications.
Lost your inhaler? No worries. You can use the Find My Inhaler feature to ring it. Moreover, you can browse through the daily Asthma Outlook, plus air quality and weather forecasts for different regions, to know what locations to avoid.
Since everyone's asthma is different, you can use the app to note when you need your inhaler the most to figure out what may cause a sudden asthma attack or what triggers your symptoms. You can even access monthly reports in the app and your email and share them with family or a doctor.
Download: Propeller for iOS | Android (Free)
2. Breath Ball
Breath Ball offers four breathing exercises for you to overcome a stressful or nerve-racking situation. The breathing exercises help you relax and are recommended by verified sources and well-reputed professionals. If you find yourself in a tense situation that may trigger an asthma attack, using this app would be a great way to calm down and prevent anything from happening.
The breathing curve for the exercises is based on observations of numerous clients, giving it a natural feel. Moreover, you can customize it to your personal preferences, so you can figure out what kind of breathing pattern feels exactly right according to your condition. The app's layout is incredibly easy to use, and you can have it all for free.
Some renowned breathing exercises available are Dr. Andrew Weil's breathing technique to fall asleep and Dr. Loew's exercise to overcome stress. The COPD foundation's exercise to help catch a breath is also one that you may want to use to help manage your asthma.
If you want to look at other methods to obtain tranquility, there are many great websites to help you calm an anxious mind.
Download: Breath Ball for iOS | Android (Free)
3. ASTHMAXcel
Clinically proven to improve asthma control and management, ASTHMAXcel is a fun app with various features to help educate and aid you in managing your asthma.
A collection of asthma physicians, behavioral scientists, software programmers, and an animation studio have worked to build this app. The app includes vivid modules, chapters, and videos to help spread knowledge about asthma in an interactive way. You can learn about the types of inhalers and their uses, and how you can make the environment around you more asthma-friendly.
Have a child diagnosed with asthma? There is a pediatric version of the app called ASTHMAXcel Adventures, full of movies, games, and quizzes to keep children engaged when learning important things about lifestyle with asthma.
Download: ASTHMAXcel for iOS | Android (Free)
4. Hailie
Hailie is an app not just limited to asthma but that also covers other COPDs, where COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This general classification covers most lung-related respiratory problems. The app focuses on perfecting your medicine regime to improve your quality of life and keep symptoms at bay.
It works best with the Hailie sensor. Combined, the duo is called the Hailie solution. It gives you real-time monitoring and analysis of your inhaler, along with an insight into your medicine and routine reminders on your device. The technology is enabled by Bluetooth.
Another advantage of using Hailie is that all of its information can be integrated with the Apple Health app. If you're looking to incorporate the Hailie solution in your life, note that the Hailie sensor is currently only available in the US and New Zealand.
Download: Hailie for iOS | Android (Free)
5. SaniQ Asthma
SaniQ Asthma serves as a personal diary to help you document everything you'd need related to your asthma. You can record your symptoms, treatment plans, and any other medical measurements in the app. Along with that, you also get daily reminders to take your medication on time.
If you're using medical equipment to take measurements, you can record it by connecting the app via Bluetooth or manually putting in the figures. Measurements that can be recorded include oxygen saturation, peak expiratory flow (PEF), and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). All of these measurements contribute to giving an insight into the amount of air that is going through your respiratory passages.
You can store therapy documents, access graphs of measurements taken, get up-to-date information on pollen dispersal, and create a PDF of your health diary to share with family, friends, or your doctor.
The app was developed in Germany and is registered as a Class 1 medical device in that country. You can download the app for free and then choose to upgrade to a monthly or yearly subscription. The subscription offers features such as the ability to create medical photos and excel reports and allows multi-device connectivity along with providing individual weather and pollen flight data.
The app also works in sync with HealthKit, so you can use them both together to personalize the app according to your personal preferences. HealthKit also allows you to import previous measurements to the app.
Download: SaniQ Asthma for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)
Life With Asthma Is Easier With These Great Apps
Asthma may be pretty challenging to live with, owing to the fact that the disease is non-curable and often tends to interfere with one's quality of life. However, when maintained and treated effectively, asthma doesn't have to be such a nuisance.
While these apps are certainly not replacements for an actual doctor, they are a great way to help you manage your asthma. You can keep personal diaries, practice effective breathing exercises, get reminders for your medication, learn about the types of inhalers available at your disposal, and keep your family and doctor up to date with your asthma journey.