In the long and tiresome voyage that so many of us are taking to arrive at good health, one of the things that most of us simply never think about is monitoring our blood oxygen level. We know that oxygen is vital to living, of course, but since we breathe automatically we look at it as something that pretty much takes care of itself. However, there are definite benefits to monitoring your blood oxygen level and reasons you want to keep track of it. Here below are some of the advantages of keeping an eye on your blood oxygen level.
What Blood Oxygen Level Tells Us
Your blood oxygen level reflects a number of things. Oxygen is necessary for the cells in your body to be able to function. Without enough oxygen, your tissues will die, your organs will fail, and you’ll be susceptible to all sorts of maladies and bad conditions, including cell deterioration and organ failure.
The amount of energy that your body is able to generate is substantially dependent on the oxygen content in your blood. A lower oxygen level, even if it doesn’t make you sick right away, will leave you feeling physically and mentally sluggish and fatigued. It may also be an indicator of developing lung disease.
A normal, healthy blood oxygen level sits between 95 and 100% (this percentage is obtained by measuring the fraction of oxygen saturated hemoglobin to total hemoglobin in the blood stream). Minimally, this level should not dip below 89% if one is to avoid the more harmful effects of low blood oxygen level. If it does fall lower, then this for just a short time then you shouldn’t experience long term damage. Should your blood oxygen level fall even lower for an extended period of time, or multiple times, then your body, including your brain, will likely start paying the price.
Monitoring Your Level
Understanding pulse oximetry is a good idea if you are going to keep track of your blood oxygen level. Pulse oximetry is basically the way we measure the oxygen content of the blood. A pulse oximeter is a small device that clips onto a finger, earlobe, or toe. After attaching it to the appendage of your choice, it shoots beams of light into your blood that in turn produce a reading that tells you what the oxygen content in your blood is. Since it also gives you a heart rate reading, you can double check that it is working effectively by counting your pulse for one minute and comparing it to the heart rate reading provided by the pulse oximeter.
A pulse oximeter is an important tool to have because monitoring your blood oxygen level is critical to understanding and improving your overall heath. There are many people walking around from day to day who — whether it is because of smoking, poor diet, bad living conditions, or bad breathing habits — are not getting enough oxygen to really be healthy. So take our advice, and don’t take air for granted. Make sure you’re getting the oxygen your body needs.