Understand Your Asthma Patterns, Support Your Doctor Conversations

No. No consumer wearable can measure lung function or detect an asthma attack. Asthma attacks involve rapid airway constriction that only medical devices like spirometers can measure. What Sam shows you (respiratory rate, sleep disruption, stress levels) are signals you can track over time, but they don't diagnose or predict attacks. Your symptom awareness and a written symptom diary are what alert you in the moment. Always follow your doctor's asthma action plan.

Use your rescue inhaler as prescribed by your doctor and seek medical help if symptoms don't improve. This is acute care that an app cannot support. Keep your written asthma action plan accessible at all times, and follow it. Sam is for tracking trends over days and weeks, not managing urgent symptoms.

You log your asthma symptoms directly in Sam, noting when symptoms occurred, what triggered them, what helped, and how they affected your day. Sam also automatically pulls your Apple Health data (sleep, respiratory rate, stress, activity) so you can bring everything organized to your doctor for the complete picture.

No. Your written asthma action plan, created with your doctor, is your medical guide. It tells you which medications to use, when, and what to do if symptoms worsen. Sam is a companion tool that helps you see your own patterns and trends, so you can follow your action plan more effectively and have better conversations with your doctor. Always prioritize your doctor's prescribed treatment.

Yes, it can help. Stress is a known trigger for many people with asthma. Sam tracks your stress levels so you can notice patterns. For example, whether high-stress weeks correlate with more symptoms (which you log in your diary). This awareness can support stress-management habits like regular movement or better sleep, both of which benefit overall health. But managing asthma itself requires your doctor's guidance. Talk with your healthcare provider about stress-specific triggers and strategies for you.

Weekly is a reasonable rhythm. Check your overnight average and whether it's shifted from your personal baseline. But respiratory rate is just one signal and doesn't indicate whether your asthma is controlled or not. Your actual symptoms, peak flow if you measure it, and your doctor's assessment are what matter. If you notice consistent changes in respiratory rate alongside symptoms, that's worth mentioning to your healthcare provider.