What are blood oxygen levels? The least known important health metric

Blood oxygen levels have come into the spotlight this year because healthcare professionals are using that metric to check and monitor COVID-19 cases. But blood oxygen levels, or SpO2, have been used long before COVID-19 as an important indicator for your heart, lungs, and overall health. Simply put, your blood oxygen level (or SpO2 level) is the amount of oxygen in your blood. This health metric, which is often called the fifth vital sign, is important to monitor in people who have respiratory conditions, including COVID-19.

Unlike your heart rate, which you can feel if it rises too high, it is not easy to self-diagnose low blood oxygen levels, also called hypoxemia. You may have trouble breathing, but you can also look and feel totally fine. While there have been many people with COVID-19 who experience hypoxemia, many other reasons, including health conditions or environmental factors, can also cause hypoxemia.

Traditionally, measuring SpO2 requires a pulse oximeter (a device that attaches to the finger). But with the new Apple Watch Series 6, you can now monitor blood oxygen with the watch’s new sensor and blood oxygen app. Read on to learn more about how blood oxygen levels work, what they mean, and why Apple is including it as a new feature in its latest watch.

What are blood oxygen levels and how are they measured?

Blood oxygen levels can tell you how well your body can absorb and use the oxygen you inhale, which is carried to red blood cells through your lungs. To be considered healthy, you need at least a 90% blood oxygen saturation level reading from a pulse oximeter, according to the Mayo Clinic.

All cells in the body need oxygen to function properly, so low levels of oxygen in the blood can indicate or precede a health problem. Keep in mind that low oxygen levels do not always indicate a medical condition and can be reversed with proper treatment. But, if oxygen levels remain low or continue to decline, it is important to seek medical intervention. If you have hypoxemia, especially if your levels are very low, you can have serious health complications in your organs or other body tissues.

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How Pulse Oximeters Measure Blood Oxygen Levels

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People have been buying more pulse oximeters in the wake of COVID-19 since doctors discovered that some COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospitals with very low levels of oxygen in the blood. That’s not surprising, since one of the common symptoms of COVID-19 is shortness of breath, which can affect your body’s ability to get and use enough oxygen.

Low blood oxygen levels can’t tell you if you have COVID-19, but if your blood oxygen levels start to drop, you’ll want to seek medical attention or tests. If you’ve been diagnosed with COVID-19, checking your blood oxygen levels is something your healthcare provider may suggest you do at home to see if your condition is getting better or worse.

Many health conditions (besides COVID-19) can cause low blood oxygen levels, including:

• Asthma
• Heart disease
• Lung disease
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD
• Pneumonia
• Fluid in the lungs
• Sleep apnea

Monitoring your blood oxygen levels may help you detect these medical problems or help you manage them if you are diagnosed.

Why does the Apple Watch have a blood oxygen sensor?

Apple is new blood oxygen level (SpO2) sensor and app is timely in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and as the popularity of pulse oximeters skyrocketed during the summer of 2020. At this time, Apple is not making any sort of claim about how the blood oxygen readings of the Apple Watch can affect your health, but the company is launching several studies to explore it.

The tech giant is partnering with the University of California, Irvine and Anthem to see how long-term blood oxygen monitoring could help asthma patients. Apple is also working with the Ted Rogers Center for Heart Research and the Peter Munk Heart Center at the University Health Network to examine how blood oxygen measurements and other health metrics that Apple Watch records can help. to control heart failure.

Finally, it’s partnering with the Seattle Flu Study at the Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine and the University of Washington School of Medicine to explore whether heart rate and blood oxygen measurements from the Apple Watch could give you early warning signs of respiratory conditions, such as influenza and COVID-19.

It will likely take years for us to get concrete results from those studies, but Apple is planting the seed, but adding a blood oxygen sensor to the Apple Watch. Ultimately, that will help gather information from thousands of people, for (hopefully) more conclusive answers on how controlling blood oxygen can make you healthier.

The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be medical or health advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health goals.