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Key Information

  • Asthma can start to worsen through smaller changes such as more coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, breathlessness, night waking or needing reliever treatment more often.
  • If your asthma is changing, check your personal asthma action plan rather than waiting to see how bad it gets.
  • Keep your action plan, inhalers and any advised spacer easy to find and ready to use, especially before a trigger or time of year that often affects you.
  • If you have an asthma attack, follow the emergency steps in your action plan and call 999 in the circumstances described below.

What Changes Should I Look Out For?

Asthma does not always suddenly change from feeling fine to having an asthma attack. Often there are smaller signs first:

  • Coughing or wheezing more often.
  • Chest tightness or shortness of breath happening more often.
  • Needing your reliever treatment more than usual.
  • Asthma waking you at night.
  • Asthma starting to stop you doing things that would normally be easy.

What Should I Do If My Asthma Is Changing?

Check your personal asthma action plan now instead of waiting to see how bad your symptoms become. Your plan tells you what signs to watch for, what to do if your asthma worsens and when to seek help.

If your asthma is becoming harder to control, follow your action plan and contact the practice when it tells you to. You do not need to wait until your next annual review.

How Can I Be Prepared?

Make sure you know where your asthma action plan is while your asthma is well controlled.

Make sure you have the inhaler or inhalers you need and that they have not run out.

If you have been advised to use a spacer, make sure you know where it is.

If you cannot find your action plan, are unsure whether it is up to date or do not understand what it tells you to do, contact the practice.

Should I Think About My Triggers?

Some people notice more asthma problems during winter when respiratory viruses are circulating more widely. For others, pollen, cold air, smoke or another trigger can make symptoms worse.

Think about what tends to affect your asthma. If you know a trigger or a certain time of year is coming, check your action plan before your asthma starts to change.

When Should I Get Urgent Help?

If you have an asthma attack, follow the emergency steps in your asthma action plan.

Call 999 if you start to feel worse at any point, if you do not feel better after the maximum reliever treatment advised for you, or if you do not have your inhaler.

What Happens Next?

Find your asthma action plan and check what it tells you to watch for.

Make sure your inhalers, and your spacer if advised, are ready to use.

Follow your action plan and seek help early if your asthma starts to change.

Further Information

For more information about asthma, please visit the Asthma + Lung UK website.

Last reviewed: 21 August 2026

Next review due: 21 August 2029