Hey there, viewers.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a few health conditions into the spotlight, one of them
being blood oxygen levels.
We’ve been hearing this term from doctors, but what exactly is it?
In today's video, we’ll be discussing what blood oxygen levels are.
What levels can be dangerous?
How can we prevent these levels from dropping down?
We’ll be discussing all this and more...
What exactly are blood oxygen levels?
The right amount of oxygen is so important for maintaining our health.
It keeps you away from fatigue and headaches.
That’s why people tell you to go outside and get some “fresh air”.
Oxygen enters your body through the air you inhale.
It then gets mixed with your blood.
The red blood cells bind with oxygen and carry it.
Hemoglobin, a part of red blood cells, is responsible for this blend.
The more these red blood cells are filled with oxygen, the better it is for your general
health.
Do you go out for walks?
How often do you exercise outside?
Sound off in the comment section, and start a conversation with our Bestie community…
How are the blood oxygen levels measured exactly?
There are two types of blood vessels in your body.
These are the arteries and veins.
The arteries carry blood full of oxygen from the heart to different organs.
The veins carry blood with no oxygen from different organs to your heart.
Let’s say there are 10 red blood cells floating in your artery.
If 5 out of 10 cells carry oxygen molecules, the blood oxygen level is considered to be
50%.
If 10 out of 10 red blood cells carry oxygen, it’s 100% of your blood oxygen level.
This blood oxygen level can be measured with the help of two different tests.
Let’s talk about them quickly...
1.
Arterial blood gas
This test requires a clinical setup and cannot be done on your own.
The test analyses the level of all gases present in your blood.
It also accurately tells the pH of your body, whether it is acidic or basic.
This is therefore considered a gold standard test for finding out oxygen levels in your
blood.
But this test is very invasive.
Generally, while getting your routine blood check-up done, your blood sample is withdrawn
from the vein.
But for getting this test, your doctor will withdraw blood from your artery.
This is a little trickier and painful than the usual procedure.
Puncturing the artery has to be done with a lot of caution.
Arteries run deep inside your body, unlike veins which are usually visible.
Reaching the artery is often a painful task.
The artery on the wrist is preferred because it's the easiest to access.
Other places to withdraw blood include the groin and elbow.
However, some patients find this uncomfortable compared to the blood withdrawal from the
vein on the inside of your elbow.
The collected blood sample is put through a machine called the blood gas analyzer.
It gives the exact reading of blood oxygen level.
Doctors refer to this as the partial pressure of oxygen or PaO2.
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2.
Pulse oximeter
The use of this device has increased during the pandemic.
This is a mechanical device for external use only.
That means there are no needle pricks involved.
This should brings some relief for those who hate needles.
It’s so easy that you can purchase one from a store, and use it on your own in the comfort
of your home.
Your doctor would be the best guide before you choose a device, and come to a conclusion
of your blood oxygen level.
This device looks like a clip-on with a digital panel on it.
It can be attached to your finger, big toe, and even your earlobe.
This device uses infrared (in-fra-red) light to work.
This light travels through your capillaries.
The amount of light reflected from the gases in the blood will be calculated and reflected
on the panel.
This reading is also commonly referred to as SpO2 level.
However, this handy device is not very accurate.
You have to consider an error window of 2% with it.
Your actual oxygen saturation can be 2% higher or lower than the reading displayed on the
panel.
Make sure you take off nail polish before using this machine.
Cold extremities can give you a false reading along with the above-mentioned conditions.
Before we move ahead, here’s another video that might interest you.
Looking to change your diet around?
Watch and learn about the 7 reasons why cherries are good for you.
Now back to our discussion...
What should be the ideal blood oxygen level?
A medical term used for measuring blood oxygen is oxygen saturation level.
Let’s see what the normal, below normal, and above normal levels are.
Normal oxygen saturation
For healthy individuals, the PaO2 measure of the arterial blood gas level should fall
between 80-100 mm of Mercury.
The SpO2 level measured by using a pulse oximeter should be between 95 to 100%.
People suffering from lung diseases like COPD should not consider these numbers as normal.
SpO2 level for such people can be as low as 88 to 92%, and still be considered absolutely
normal.
The normal values differ in disease and conditions.
Below normal oxygen saturation
This condition is also called hypoxemia, and may require immediate attention.
It’s often accompanied by difficulty in breathing.
It directly targets vital organs and body tissue, as they receive blood with less oxygen.
As the oxygen level drops down, the severity of hypoxemia only increases.
A PaO2 level below 80 mm of HG and SpO2 is categorized as hypoxemia.
You may think that 90% of oxygen saturation is harmless, but in reality, things have gotten
way worse.
Hypoxemia can create panic and make you draw sudden conclusions.
Therefore it’s very important you know the normally acceptable oxygen saturation for
your physique and health conditions.
Talk to your doctor to get a customized chart for yourself, which lists these values.
The condition may require supplemental oxygen support connected to an oxygen cylinder.
Extra oxygen is carried through a tube, which goes through the nose.
You’ve probably seen people wearing them in real life.
If the SpO2 level falls below 80 to 85%, it will take a toll on your brain.
This can potentially shut down the working of your entire body.
Another gruesome condition is cyanosis, which happens if SpO2 levels drop down below 67%.
A cyanosed person can sometimes have bluish discoloration on their skin.
This is usually considered an emergency.
If ignored, it can lead to respiratory failure, eventually resulting in death.
Above normal oxygen saturation
This condition is detected in arterial blood gas testing.
Patients usually have oxygen levels above 120 mm of Hg.
This is a common finding with patients subjected to supplemental oxygen for more than 3 to
10 hours.
Why does oxygen saturation drop in the first place?
This can happen for quite a few reasons.
If you love hiking, and do it on the regular, you’ve probably noticed that as you scale
the heights of a mountain, it’s harder to breathe.
A few might even start gasping for breath.
This happens because atmospheric oxygen itself becomes low at high altitudes.
A few health conditions are directly related to hypoxemia.
COPD, bronchitis, asthma, and anemia are a few diseases on this list.
Another noteworthy condition that serves as the front runner on this list is Covid-19.
This viral infection decreases the capacity of your body to take in oxygen.
It’s never advised to measure oxygen saturation level during sleep.
This is because the patient may or may not be aware of sleep apnea, which causes a change
in breathing patterns with temporary cessation of breathing.
If you’re a smoker, you’re required to check the oxygen saturation through blood
tests only.
A smoker will always have a high percentage of carbon monoxide gas mixed in their blood.
A pulse oximeter cannot differentiate between oxygen and carbon monoxide gas.
It will just give you a false reading.
Another condition that pushes you into hypoxemia is a heart defect.
In these cases, the heart loses its capacity to pump oxygenated blood to the lungs.
This can result in multi-system failure.
What are the signs and symptoms to look out for during hypoxemia?
The symptoms may vary depending on the severity of your situation.
However, a few of the big signs are headache, dizziness, coughing, strange breathing, confusion,
fast heartbeats, and cyanosis.
What can be done to spike up the low oxygen levels?
If the blood oxygen levels remain seriously low for a long time, supplemental oxygen is
the only solution.
After you’ve recovered, you can do a few things to maintain that level.
Lifestyle changes are considered to be beneficial to prevent hypoxemia recurrence.
Yoga and meditation with breathing exercises have been beneficial in many cases.
You can incorporate some form of mild to moderate exercise into your daily routine.
Like includes walking or jogging.
Ensure that you're eating a balanced diet, and consuming lots of fluids and water.
Smoking has a million disadvantages, with hypoxemia being one of them.
Needless to say, quitting this habit for good might add a few years to your life.
Another quick tip is to avoid working in enclosed rooms for too long.
Your blood is so important.
It’s not just some gross thing you don’t want to look at.
Let’s look at a couple more blood-related videos, shall we?
Our bodies cannot function without a good amount of hemoglobin.
Watch the 9 signs of low hemoglobin you cannot ignore.
You can also try Warning Signs of a Blood Clot That Can’t Be Ignored.
Go ahead, click one.
Or better yet, watch both, and learn more about your blood and how it works.
Do you have a pulse oximeter at home?
Let us know in the comments below!