1 min Low blood oxygen, known as hypoxemia, means that the level of oxygen in the blood has dropped below average, normal levels, due to one or more of many different causes. Under most circumstances, breathing room air, normal readings range from 95 to 100 percent. A normal blood oxygen level varies between 75 and 100 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). A blood oxygen level below 60 mm Hg is considered low and may require oxygen supplementation, depending on a. The quantity or level of oxygen that is circulating in the blood is known as Blood Oxygen Level. An individual’s blood oxygen level indicates how well the oxygen distribution is from the lungs to different parts and cells of the body and it is very crucial for the health of a person that it remains in the desired parameters. Learn about the measurement of blood oxygen levels, normal and low.
Yes it’s normal if you are healthy. “ Normal blood oxygen levels in humans are considered 95-100 percent. If the level is below 90 percent, it is considered low resulting in hypoxemia. Oxygen saturation—sometimes referred to as O2 sats, or simply, sats—refers to the extent to which hemoglobin is saturated with oxygen. Hemoglobin is an element in your blood that binds with oxygen to carry it through the bloodstream to the organs, tissues, and cells of your body.
What are normal levels, and when should I worry?
Normal SpO2 is usually at least 95%. Some patients with chronic lung disease or sleep apnea can have normal levels of around 90%.
A medical professional should be consulted when the SpO2 reading is below the baseline, or according to the protocol of the medical center, if the patient is a resident of a long-term care facility; or has been previously evaluated by a physician for concerns related to fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or shortness of breath, muscle or body aches, stuffy or runny nose.
Supplemental oxygen or other treatments might be needed.
Other people should contact a health care provider if they experience shortness of breath or when measured SpO2 is <95%.
Contents
What is a good pulse oximeter reading?
Your pulse oximeter will show you your oxygen level as “SpO2.” Normal oxygen levels are at least 95%. Some patients with chronic lung disease or sleep apnea can have normal levels of around 90%.
If your home SpO2 reading is less than 95%, call your health care provider.
A pulse oximeter might be a helpful tool for you to monitor your health and help know if you need medical care. While a pulse oximeter may help you feel some control over your health, it does not tell the whole story.
Your oxygen level measured by a pulse oximeter is not the only way to know how sick you are. Some people may feel very sick and have good oxygen levels, and some may feel OK but have poor oxygen levels.
You might also have low oxygen levels if you feel short of breath, are breathing faster than usual, or feel too sick to do your usual daily activities. Call a health care provider right away if you have these symptoms.
Blood oxygen level normal range
What does “blood oxygen level” mean?
“Blood oxygen level” describes the amount of oxygen you have circulating in your blood.
Our bodies need oxygen to function. Oxygen enters the body through the nose and mouth and passes through the lungs into the bloodstream.
Once in the bloodstream, oxygen helps replace cells that wear out, provides energy for our bodies, supports the way our immune system functions, and more.
Low blood oxygen levels indicate that there may be an issue with your lungs or circulation.
Normal oxygen level for adults
Why is there an increased interest in blood oxygen levels?
People started to buy pulse oximeters to measure blood oxygen levels at home when they learned that low levels could be symptoms of the pandemic.
Shortness of breath is a well-known symptom, but it’s not always easy to detect. Some thought this device could be a tool to help self-assess for signs and symptoms.
There have also been reports of “silent hypoxia” where peoples’ oxygen levels are dangerously low, but they don’t necessarily experience shortness of breath.
Best pulse oximeter for accurate reading at home
What are the 2 readings on a pulse oximeter?1. Blood Oxygen Saturation (SpO2): The measurement that indicates what percentage of blood is saturated.
2. Pulse Rate: Pulse rate is nothing but the heart rate that indicates the number of times a heart beats per minute.
The best finger to use it on is the middle finger. We assume that right middle finger and right thumb have the most accurate value that reflects the arterial oxygen saturation.
Can masks cause low oxygen levels?Absolutely not. We wear masks all day long in the hospital. The masks are designed to be breathed through and there is no evidence that low oxygen levels occur.
Medical grade Pulse Oximeter made in USA
- Ever wonder if there are pulse oximeters made in the USA?
- How many medical device manufacturers are there in the United States?
FDA approved pulse oximeter
Pulse oximetry is a test used to measure the oxygen level (oxygen saturation) of the blood. It is an easy, painless measure of how well oxygen is being sent to parts of your body furthest from your heart, such as the arms and legs.
Fingertip Pulse Oximeters
- What is the best pulse oximeter?
- What is a normal oxygen saturation level?
- Are any oximeters made in the USA?
- Pulse oximeters FDA approved and more…
Pulse Oximeters: Answering Your Frequently Asked Questions
Low oxygen levels will rob you of your eye sight, short term memory, and your energy. Eventually low oxygen levels will weaken your heart muscle.
Heart Failure IS -> Progressive weakening of your heart muscle! (Read that sentence again. It is that important.)
The world is facing an epidemic of heart failure! This ONE health crisis will rob more productive work years from Americans than any other.
Why should you be concerned about oxygen?
Oxygen isn’t typically something you worry about. If you are looking into “low oxygen levels”, you likely heard the term from your doctor. As the caregiver of a loved one, you
might become familiar with the importance of oxygen as a life saving requirement, but fail to realize how effective it can be in minimizing discomfort and maintaining quality-of-
life.
Everyone worries about high blood pressure, carrying extra weight and other issues routine blood work can reveal. It’s all part of the natural aging process and your growing
concern for your health. After all, you don’t ignore your bad health until it kills you if you know better, right?
Being over-weight increases your risk for many diseases, especially heart disease. So, you diet and attempt to get “regular exercise”. Maybe you join a gym, or consider
gastric bypass surgery. You do what it takes because health is important.
Low Oxygen Levels Elderly
High blood pressure is called the silent killer, because it can be deadly without symptoms. Most people know that it’s important to get their blood pressure checked
regularly, just to be safe.
You’ve been told you should worry about your cholesterol levels. Everybody seems to know that reducing your bad cholesterol is important, so your doctor will likely offer
you a prescription to lower your cholesterol if it is elevated. Even if your cholesterol isn’t elevated, your doctor may prescribe Statin medication as a “precaution” when you
have other risk factors for heart disease. (That so called preventative medication might not be such a good idea.
There are plenty of risk factors to worry about. Why add oxygen to the list?
If your doctor is expressing concern about your blood oxygen levels, you should be concerned, too.
You may be inclined to argue with your doctor if he/she would like to see you using oxygen 24 hours a day. It’s fair to say that round-the-clock oxygen therapy is inconvenient and irritating.
It’s also difficult to understand why it is necessary.
What is there to be concerned about?
Consequences of Low Blood Oxygen Level:
• damage eye sight
• deteriorate short term memory
• weaken muscle (your heart is a muscle)
• increase pain
• reduced clarity/focus
• loss of your natural charming disposition
• potentially create life threatening cranial nerve stimulation
Since low-flow home-oxygen is completely safe and doesn’t cause side-effects you are better off to use it than to resist using it and suffer the consequences of low blood oxygen. It isn’t an easy to swallow pill, but it might just be more important than every pill in your pill box.
Oxygen is one prescription you don’t want to second guess.
If your doctor wants you on oxygen, you are crazy to argue.
Does your doctor monitor your blood oxygen levels routinely?
Not all doctors have oximeters (oxygen measuring devices) in their office. If they don’t have one, they have no way to routinely monitor your oxygen level during your physicals, check-ups and illness related appointments.
This isn’t at all unusual. Even if doctors have oximeters, they may not use them unless you have some sort of breathing complaint. It isn’t widely understood, even with doctors, that low oxygen is most often NOT accompanied by shortness-of-breath.
It isn’t at all uncommon for doctors and nurses to minimize the importance of oxygen therapy and to dismiss low oxygen readings if they only last a short period of time.
This approach is much like waiting for things to get worse.
Whether your doctor monitors your blood oxygen level or not, YOU SHOULD.
There is no doubt about it. Taking an active role in your health care can cause you more stress than putting blind trust in your doctor, but if your doctor doesn’t offer you thesolution you need, who will?
Doctors are making educated guesses and doing the best they can. Luckily they also have the benefit of a well educated team with many years of combined experience. Good health care requires team work. It can be tempting to allow your doctor to lead the team but NO ONE is more motivated and invested in finding solutions to your suffering than YOU are.
It’s important for you to be aware that your participation is the key to positive results.
Certainly, if your health care team doesn’t successfully uncover the cause of your suffering and eliminate it or otherwise address it, you are the only one who will suffer the consequence. Ultimately, you pay the price for oversights and mistakes.
Unfortunately, low blood oxygen causes devastating consequences.
If your doctor is advocating for oxygen therapy, you are fortunate. Most doctors overlook the harm low oxygen levels are causing and shrug off the importance of monitoring and meeting oxygen needs.
Good quality-of-life is your goal. The damage caused by low oxygen levels prevents you from functioning the way you normally would. How much joy would you lose if your
eyesight slowly deteriorated?
As you age, you tend to think you are just getting old and out of shape. The progressive muscle weakening caused by low oxygen levels effects your heart muscle. When your
heart muscle is weakened by low oxygen levels your whole world changes, but it doesn’t typically happen all of a sudden.
When you suffer a heart attack part of your heart muscle dies. With congestive heart failure things [more often than not] happen very slowly. The progressive weakening of your heart muscle is gradual. For years your doctor will tell you “your heart is fine”.
Once you know you are living with congestive heart failure, you should understand that oxygen is the key to protecting your weakened heart muscle and to strengthening it.
Low oxygen is a BIG deal.
If your low oxygen levels are caused by lung disease, it’s important to remember that keeping your blood oxygen level above 92% is important to protect your heart.
If your low oxygen levels are caused by heart disease, it’s important to remember that failing to address low oxygen levels will further weaken your heart muscle.
So how low is too low?
Is 97 A Good O2 Level
7 Facts to Remember About Blood Oxygen Saturation Levels
1. When oxygen saturation levels fall below 92%, the pressure of the oxygen in your blood is too low to penetrate the walls of the red blood cells. It is a matter of gas laws.
2. Your insurance company may not pay for oxygen unless your levels fall to 88% oxygen saturation. This has nothing to do with what is best for you, it is just the point at which your insurance is willing to pay.
3. Every time your oxygen level falls below 92% saturation the cells of your body are oxygen starved.
4. When you fail to meet your oxygen needs, every organ in your body suffers the consequences.
5. Low oxygen levels may be present only at certain times.
- when retaining excessive fluid
- when airways are reacting to irritants
- with respiratory illness
- sleep apnea
- about 3:00am when you wake gasping for air
- with activity when your heart muscle has become weak, though isn’t technically “congestive heart failure”….. yet
6. Recurring low oxygen levels are harmful and should be treated with supplemental oxygen.
7. The problem is that your doctor may not witness your oxygen levels at 88%, and if he doesn’t see that reading on an oxygen meter (oximeter), then most insurance companies will not pay for it, and therefore doctors don’t order it.
Low oxygen levels are definitely something to worry about!
Good O2 Level In Blood
If you feel you may be experiencing low oxygen levels be sure to ask your doctor to check your pulse oximetry reading.
Is 92 A Good O2 Level
Symptoms of low oxygen are:
- shortness of breath/ difficulty breathing/ dyspnea
- extreme fatigue
- chest tightness
- mental confusion
- tingling fingers
- water retention (especially feet/ ankles)
- chronic cough
Oxygen Levels Chart
If you are experiencing blood oxygen saturation levels below 92% now, waiting for your doctor to witness it below 88% and order oxygen is equal to sitting around waiting to get worse.
Are you concerned?
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