Knowing how to perform your test correctly at home means you and your care team have an accurate and reliable record of your lung health.
Preparing for your test
Before doing your test, you should:
Wear loose, comfortable clothing that won't prevent you from taking a deep breath.
Refrain from eating a large meal at least 2 hours before the test, so it will be easier to breathe.
Avoid any heavy exercise at least 30 minutes before the test (e.g. cycling, running)
Avoid smoking at least 1 hour before the test
These tips will help ensure that your spirometry results are more accurate.
Test instructions
Sit upright with feet flat on the floor with legs uncrossed. Make sure you’re relaxed and comfortable.
Raise your head and chin, so you can breath easily.
Take a big, deep breath in so your lungs are completely filled with air.
Place the spirometer in your mouth, and close your lips tightly around the mouthpiece as soon as your lungs are full.
Without hesitation, blow out as fast and forcefully as you can, making sure you empty your lungs fully. The harder you blow out at the beginning, the more accurate your FEV1 value will be (FEV1 is the amount of air you breathe out in the 1st second of a forced expiration).
Continue to blow for as long as you can. You may feel you are empty but try to maintain the blow for as long as possible. The longer you blow out the more accurate the FVC result. (FVC is the amount of air that can be forcibly exhaled from your lungs after taking the deep breath).
Pro tip: You will get more accurate and consistent results if you don’t hesitate between taking a deep breath and blowing out forcefully.
Knowing when to take a break
The spirometry test requires a lot of effort so you might feel a bit tired afterwards. Breathing fast and hard during the test could make you feel lightheaded or cause you to cough. You should take a break and drink water if you start to cough, are short of breath, feel tired, dizzy or lightheaded. You should only do another test after you have fully recovered.
You shouldn't do more than 8 tests at a time, however, you should stop doing spirometry if you start to feel unwell or any discomfort.
When not to do spirometry
Spirometry is generally considered very safe, but it's important to know when it may be unsafe to do a spirometry test. Spirometry should also be avoided if you have any of the following recent conditions:
Recent eye, chest or abdominal surgery.
Have had a collapsed lung or have tuberculosis.
Recent heart attack or stroke.
Unstable angina.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure.
An operation to your head, chest, stomach or eyes.
Perforated ear drum.
Ready to give it a go? Read this article on how to take a spirometry measurement in the app.
