An asthma diary is a journal that asthma patients use to keep weekly records concerning the frequency of their asthma symptoms, their peak flows every morning and every night, and the names and amounts of the medicine they took. There can also be numerous other details recorded, depending on the patient’s needs. The more detailed the journal is, the more useful it will be to both its owner and the patients’ doctor, who may need a great deal of information to help the patient.

No two people have the same kind of asthma. That is why it is important for patients to observe trends in their asthma and learn as much as possible about their own personal asthma triggers. These triggers can be difficult to identify. If symptoms start shortly after coming into contact with a particular perfume or being in a dusty room, the trigger is easy to identify. At other times the symptoms may manifest hours after the patient comes in contact with the trigger. Therefore having a daily asthma diary can be of great help in monitoring the patients’ asthma, and it can also give the patients control over their triggers.