When it comes to your blood oxygen level, a second-look can never hurt.
Let’s be frank: if you’re currently living with a chronic lung disease like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis (PF) or emphysema, the maintenance of your health and symptom expression is generally your top priority. Often, this can mean a particular level of scrutiny in the foods you eat, the exercise you get, your exposure to cigarette smoke and other harmful airborne conditions, and the continual maintenance of your respiratory metrics, such as your PFT and blood oxygen levels.
Generally speaking, ‘oxygen levels’ refers to the percentage amount of hemoglobin in red blood cells that is in the oxygenated state. For normal healthy individuals this number is normally 94–100 percent. In patients with COVID-19 it is abnormally. Destination Content Title. How do Oxygen levels and my lung function work. My lung function is 38%, but my oxygen levels stay on the 90's. With any exertion my body becomes quite stressed and I have a hard time breathing. My oxygen level is approx. 98 resting and drops to approx. 92 with exertion.
Simply put, for those with lung disease, it’s not only incredibly important to monitor your health and make adjustments in your behavior when necessary, but for many, it’s a way of life. Your blood oxygen level is one of the most important metrics to measure; as it is a clear indicator of how well your body is distributing oxygen (more on that in a moment). Taking the time to determine your blood oxygen level and how it fits in with the national average can be a vital marker for the direction of your respiratory health.
With your health in mind, the Lung Health Institute is here to break down the things you need to know on your Blood Oxygen Level: Is My Oxygen Level Normal?
What is Your Blood Oxygen Level?
In the most basic terms, your blood oxygen level is the amount of oxygen in your blood. Sounds simple, right? However, the complexities of this measurement come into play when trying to increase this amount by doing more than taking deeper breaths. As you can imagine, the level of your blood oxygen is important for your general health. If your blood oxygen is too low—in comparison to the average blood oxygen level of a healthy adult—you may be hypoxemic.
As is the case of most people with COPD, oxygen levels are below normal and hypoxemia can frequently occur over time. This means that your body has trouble nourishing your cells, tissues and organs. As your blood is the medium for getting oxygen (via red blood cells) throughout your body, poor circulation can produce the symptoms of chronic lung disease—namely shortness of breath.
Overall, this can reduce your quality of life, impair your skeletal muscle function, impair your exercise tolerance and increase your risk of death.
How is Your Blood Oxygen Level Measured?
A normal blood oxygen level typically ranges from 75 to 100 mm Hg. In the case of dangerously low blood oxygen, the level that requires supplemental oxygen is anything under 60.
The best way to monitor blood oxygen levels is through your arterial blood gasses (ABGs); however, this can be difficult to do at home. In place of using an ABG test, it’s more convenient to use a pulse oximeter, which measures oxygen saturation through a small clip on your finger. In the realm of oxygen saturation levels, normal is often considered anything between 95-100 percent.
Anything below 90 is usually considered low, therefore if you are below this metric, you should consider asking your doctor for a prescription for supplemental oxygen.
What Does My Blood Oxygen Level Mean for My Health?
Your blood oxygen levels have a direct effect on the expression of your symptoms. A low blood oxygen level can signify a lack of proper circulation or oxygen saturation within the body, which can ultimately result in a variety of conditions typically associated with chronic lung disease.
These may include:
- Confusion
- A sense of euphoria
- Restlessness
- Headaches
- Shortness of breath
- Rapid breathing
- Dizziness, lightheartedness and/or fainting spells
- Lack of coordination
- Rapid heart rate
- Elevated blood pressure
- Visual disturbances
- Bluish tint to lips, earlobes and/or nail beds
- Elevated red blood cell count or polycythemia
What Can I Do Moving Forward?
Understanding your blood oxygen levels is a key step in learning how to measure your health. Whether it’s through measuring it yourself using a pulse oximeter, or having it properly tested through an ABG test with your primary physician, knowing the basic metrics of your respiratory health is critical to making the changes necessary to improve it.
Although the most important step in taking control of your health is to quit smoking, a close second is to address your general health through diet and exercise.
With these behavioral changes, it’s possible to greatly affect the pronouncement of symptoms for people with COPD, pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. However, when lifestyle changes fail to improve your quality of life in the way that you may expect, it may be time to consider cellular therapy. Rather than addressing the symptoms of lung disease, cellular therapy may directly affect disease progression and may improve quality of life.
For more information on cellular therapy and what it could mean for your life moving forward, contact us today or call us at 888-745-6697. Our patient coordinators will walk you through our available treatment options, talk through your current health and medical history and determine a qualifying treatment plan that works best for you.
Interested in our article on Blood Oxygen Level: Is My Oxygen Level Normal? Share your thoughts and comments below.
Oxygen levels don’t have to be confusing. Let’s make sense of them together.
Let’s start with the obvious: what are oxygen levels? And from there, what do they mean? If you live with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis (PF) or emphysema, oxygen levels are an undoubtedly important measurement, and here’s why: they allow you to measure how much oxygen your red blood cells are carrying.
Why is that important?
The importance behind this metric is that by measuring your blood oxygen levels, you can alter your behaviors and lifestyle to positively improve these levels and possibly help reduce your symptoms and feelings of breathlessness. In essence, the oxygen that is being carried by your red blood cells throughout your body allows your body to thrive and maintain homeostasis (when your body runs healthily). To aid in this process, the delivery of oxygen through red blood cells in your blood cells is vital.
So, how can I affect this?
There are a variety of ways to positively improve your blood oxygen levels to help relieve your symptom expression and boost your energy levels. And with your health in mind, the Lung Health Institute is here to help by giving insight to your Oxygen Levels: What Do My Numbers Mean?
Oxygen Levels- An Overview
As we’ve mentioned above, the measurement of your oxygen levels is pretty important to your overall health. It allows you to adjust and change your behavior based on your oxygen levels for the betterment of your breathing and condition. But what are blood oxygen levels and what do they mean?
Here’s a quick anecdote:
Imagine for a second that your blood vessels make up a giant subway network. The tunnels of this network are your veins and the train itself is your blood. Multiple carts (your blood cells) make up the train, and the people inside them are oxygen. As this subway (again your blood) travels through the network (your body), it’s dropping people off at various stops within your body. The question, however, is how many people (oxygen) are in each car of the subway? And is there a way to pack more in them?
This fundamental scenario is blood oxygen saturation in a nut shell and explains the importance of your body’s ability to retain oxygen within your red blood cells. In short, you want each of these cells jam packed with oxygen for delivery throughout your body to maintain and boost your energy levels and overall health.
So, What’s Normal and What Isn’t?
Your body’s oxygen levels can be measured using a variety of different techniques:
- Arterial blood gas test (ABG)—which measures your blood’s oxygen level by drawing blood.
- Pulse oximetry—which places a clip device on your finger and measures O2 levels.
A normal ABG blood oxygen level for healthy lungs will usually fall between 80 and 100 millimeters. If using a pulse oximeter, this reading should typically be between 95 and 100 percent.
In the case of severe COPD on the other hand, an expected pulse oximetry level is likely to be between 88 to 92 percent. Some people’s oxygen level measurements may be lower.
When your blood oxygen level gets too low (hypoxemia), there are several symptoms that you will be able to recognize:
- shortness of breath
- chest pain
- confusion
- headache
- rapid heartbeat
- possible cyanosis (blue discoloration of the nail beds, skin and mucus membranes)
Methods that May Improve My Oxygen Levels
Thankfully, to combat low blood oxygen levels there are several ways to raise them. First, if your blood oxygen level is particularly low, it may be wise to consider getting on supplemental oxygen therapy if your doctor hasn’t already prescribed it. In addition, always talk with your doctor about your oxygen level questions and concerns.
Adding to this, by raising the amounts of hemoglobin within the body through the ingestion of specific foods, it’s possible to positively impact your blood oxygen levels. When your body has the nutrients it needs, it has a better ability to deliver oxygen more efficiently as well.
To start:
- Eat Shrimp—they are a good low calorie protein and filled with important vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants.
- Have an Orange—there are several things to love about the orange, particularly orange juice. The bonus is that they’re excellent sources of fiber, vitamin C and other critical acids and nutrients.
- Drink Some Almond Milk– Vitamin D is important, but so is avoiding any excessive phlegm build-up. Instead, pick up some almond milk. It tastes better and won’t leave you as gassy or bloated.
For more tips on improving your oxygen levels check out our 5 Tips for Improving Low Blood Oxygen Levels here, as well as the article on 5 Ways to Improve Your Oxygen Levels.
Moving Forward with Your Oxygen Levels
Good Oxygen Level For Copd
Living with a chronic lung disease like COPD, pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema doesn’t have to be as difficult as it may seem. By taking the time to better understand your disease and how to address issues such as your blood oxygen level, it’s possible to improve your overall health and quality of life. Although these steps can be difficult as they require changing personal behavior from diet and exercise to your medication, change is possible.
With a few behavioral changes, it’s possible to greatly affect the pronouncement of symptoms within those with COPD, emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis. However, when lifestyle changes fail to improve your quality of life in the way that you may expect, it may be time to consider cellular therapy. Rather than addressing the symptoms of lung disease, cellular therapy may directly affect disease progression and may improve quality of life.
For more information on cellular therapy and what it could mean for your life moving forward, contact us today or call us at 888-745-6697. Our patient coordinators will walk you through our available treatment options, talk through your current health and medical history and determine a qualifying treatment plan that works best for you.
Good Oxygen Level In The Blood
Interested in our article on Oxygen Levels: What Do My Numbers Mean?Share your thoughts and comments below.