Smartwatch with blood pressure and oxygen

Prior to 2020, you probably did not think about blood oxygen levels much. People tend not to address or monitor this aspect of their health, as well as don't know much about it. However, everything changed dramatically when COVID 19 appeared. The virus has made us more aware of the connection between oxygen levels and lung health.

Having low blood oxygen levels can be a serious matter, and if you ignore the issue, your health could be at risk. Luckily, there are devices on the market, such as smartwatches, that measure blood oxygen levels. In order to stay healthy, it is important to check and always be aware of your blood oxygen levels.

Nowadays, more and more people are aware of what blood oxygen is, and why it's so important. Specifically, blood oxygen levels refer to the amount of oxygen circulating with red blood cells in your body. Normal blood oxygen levels range from 95 to 100 percent.

“If oxygen levels are below 88 percent, that is a cause for concern,” commented Dr. Christian Bime, a pulmonology specialist at Banner - University Medical Center Tucson. You should contact a doctor immediately if you see measurements at or below this level, or go to the nearest emergency room or urgent care facility. In that situation, an increase in blood oxygen level is essential, for which a specialist is highly recommended.

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Importance of blood oxygen and the blood oxygen monitor

The level of oxygen in the blood is tightly regulated by your body. Basically, your blood oxygen level tells you how much oxygen your red blood cells carry. Your health depends on maintaining an accurate balance between oxygen-saturated blood and non-oxygenated blood.

Sometimes, monitoring the blood oxygen level can be helpful in determining whether a treatment is working or if it needs to be adjusted, especially for people with chronic conditions.

When the body becomes short on oxygen, it can lead to all sorts of problems. For instance, brain function and mental clarity are decreased, the rate at which cells are repaired slows down, immune system function is reduced, and muscle strength is diminished.

Blood oxygen levels should be checked regularly in order to ensure that they're within an adequate range for optimal health. This can be difficult for some people due to mobility or other issues. Fortunately, there are devices that can measure blood oxygen levels without having to do any blood draws.

The oxygen saturation in a person's blood is measured as a percentage. In medical settings, pulse oximeters are often used for quick tests as well as for continuous monitoring of the percentage of oxygen in the blood. Typically, these devices are attached to the finger.

However, there are many types of devices that can be used to measure oxygen saturation. While some devices measure only blood oxygen levels, others offer information on numerous other health aspects as well. For general use, people can select from those and decide whether they want to measure and, check if they need specialized advice about how to increase blood oxygen levels or whether they are interested in monitoring other health aspects.

A smartwatch is a great device for finding how efficiently oxygen is transported in the blood. They are convenient and comfortable devices with numerous advantages. For instance, the smartwatches from Deep Rio provide many health-related features, such as measuring blood oxygen levels, monitoring heart rate, and monitoring your sleep quality.

Symptoms including shortness of breath, headaches, restlessness, and dizziness may occur when blood oxygen levels are low. These are the mildest symptoms associated with low blood oxygen; they can be uncomfortable, but they usually do not interfere with a person's daily life. Unfortunately, low blood oxygen can also cause other problems. More severe symptoms such as chest pain, confusion, high blood pressure, lack of coordination, or visual disorders are also possible variants of symptoms and they may directly affect your normal daily life.

Temporarily low oxygen saturation may not cause any damage and may not be a reason to become distressed. Yet, recurrent or persistent cases of low oxygen saturation levels may lead to health problems. Generally speaking, 95% is considered a healthy level. When the oxygen level in the blood is less than 92 percent, this can indicate hypoxemia, which is a serious condition.

Low levels of blood oxygen are caused by many conditions. In addition to poor quality of air and diseases like asthma, anemia, and COVID-19, several other factors can cause low blood oxygen levels. In general, treatment of the underlying cause will generally result in an improvement in blood oxygen levels. In addition to taking specific medication, making lifestyle changes, such as adjusting diet and exercise routine may also be used as a method to increase blood oxygen levels.

How to measure blood oxygen levels

The level of blood oxygen in your body is an important indicator of health. The test measures the amount of oxygen in your blood and, based on the results, can indicate whether you have a medical condition. Pulse oximeters are commonly known devices to use for measuring blood oxygen levels, but they are not the only tools that can do this.

To measure how much oxygen is in your blood, devices that have the function of pulse oximeters use a light and a sensor. They can easily be slipped into a pocket or slid onto a wrist, making them easy to use by anyone. The Deep Rio smartwatch, which has this feature, is a great device that can help you measure your blood oxygen levels.

Considering the high number of possibilities regarding different devices that can be used to measure the oxygen in the blood, there are also various concerns. “There is a lot of variability in how these devices measure the oxygen levels, and these methods have not been cleared by the FDA,” explained Dr. Bime.  “As long as you compared the results to those from an FDA-approved device, they are fine.” There is no need to buy a separate FDA-approved device; is enough to simply ask your doctor when you go for a check-up if your blood oxygen level can be measured.

The measurement essentially works the same regardless of the device. By analyzing the amount of light absorbed by the blood (by interpreting the color), the device provides a number that measures the blood oxygen content in comparison to the maximum amount that can be carried.

In general, oxygen saturation readings are very accurate. It may be difficult for the device to detect the correct data when there is poor circulation, or when cold or moving fingers or wrists may trick the probe into thinking it is measuring the heartbeat.

Depending on how cold the area used for measuring the oxygen level, it may be necessary to warm it before retaking the oxygen measurement. Additionally, it is best to hold still and stop moving your hands as you take measurements. Consequently, you will be able to increase the accuracy of the results.

It is fairly common for people to suffer from low levels of blood oxygen, and most people are interested in how to get oxygen levels up. To accomplish this, contacting a specialist is the best course of action. Very rarely, the problem is too much oxygen in the blood. Generally,  excessive  oxygen levels are found in people who receive supplemental oxygen.

If the measurement reveals low oxygen levels, you should consult your healthcare provider. Regardless of whether your blood oxygen level is shown as normal, if you don't feel well, Dr. Bime still recommends seeing your doctor. “Do not be falsely reassured,” he advises.

How a smartwatch can help measure your blood oxygen

Wearable technology has become more popular as a way to monitor one's health today. One area that is of particular interest is how a smartwatch can measure blood oxygen levels. Wrist-worn devices can detect the drop in oxygen when you are feeling stressed or anxious and provide breathing exercises to help you recover. In addition, some smartwatches have a function for measuring heart rate variability which is an indicator for stress levels and sleeps quality. As an example, the Deep Rio smartwatches include all of those features.

You can ensure your lungs are adequately oxygenating your blood by monitoring your own blood oxygen levels at home. Additionally, low blood oxygen levels may indicate the need for immediate medical attention.

Using a smartwatch to measure blood oxygen, you can gain more advantages than by using a separate device. Similarly, just as smartphones have advanced and added functions, smartwatches have done so as well. Nowadays, smartwatches have evolved to the point that their capabilities are almost equal to those of smartphones, but they also offer unique features.

Smartwatches typically feature a heart rate monitor, sleep tracker, and activity monitor. Additionally, some smartwatches, such as Deep Rio Vidaa and Niagara, include blood oxygen level monitors, blood pressure monitors, breathing guidance, water consumption reminders, and female-specific health features. These functions allow users to track their health.

Additionally to simply monitoring your health personally, doctors can use the information from a smartwatch to guide their care by looking at your well-being. Smartwatches may even identify small illnesses, according to some studies. Smartwatches continuously monitor patients' heart rates and skin temperatures, and researchers have discovered that individuals' heart rates rise when they become ill. By always having the measurements of those aspects, you can better form an idea regarding your health and they may be able to show you when a visit to the doctor is needed.

Smartwatches come with many features and benefits, including fitness tracking. As part of their lifestyle features, smartwatches can not only include pedometers and step counters, but they can also be used to determine calorie intake and consumption, activity duration, and other similar data. All that information can be viewed directly on a screen using Deep Rio Vidaa.

In general, smartwatches offer a variety of useful features intended to assist you with your day-to-day tasks as well as track your sports activities. If you value mobility and ease of use, there is no better way to keep track of your health but also to stay "connected" than a smartwatch.

Final thought

When we experienced the COVID19 epidemic, we all learned about the importance of blood oxygen levels and that it cannot be overestimated. A blood oxygen test is a quick, non-invasive, completely painless test and it comes with no risks.

During that period, it was obvious why people should check their blood oxygen level, so they started doing it. But this is an important habit that should remain even after the pandemic is over. It can be said that oxygen is the life-giving gas that our cells depend on for their energy production, in fact. But just as oxygen levels in the air need to be monitored and replenished, so do ours.

Being able to monitor one's blood oxygen level, receive hints about when to consult a doctor and ask how to raise the blood oxygen level is an invaluable advantage.  Smartwatches offer all that, but also provide a variety of other health features, and that makes them a great addition to our lives.

Written by Adela