How to increase blood oxygen level

what is blood oxygen saturation?

Blood oxygen saturation is an indicator of the oxygen content in our blood. If the oxygen content in the blood is low, it will cause hypoxia in various organs, change their functions, and may endanger life.

Symptoms of low oxygen levels

Short-term hypoxia: You may experience yawning, fatigue, dizziness, headache, lack of energy, memory loss, etc.

Long-term hypoxia: It not only increases the risk of multiple diseases, but also causes damage to organs such as the brain and heart, and even leads to sudden death.

Normal blood oxygen saturation is between 95% and 100%, which is normal. But if the blood oxygen levels are between 90% and 94%, it means that there are some problems with your lung function and there may be a certain degree of hypoxia. Clinically, if the normal blood oxygen levels are lower than 90%, it is recommended to intubate and put on a ventilator if it is serious enough.

In the 80% to 90% range, most people can still remain relatively awake for a short time. However, if it takes a long time, the person's consciousness will not be clear.

If the blood oxygen is between 70% and 80%, the patient may be OK for a short time. But over a long period, dozens of minutes or hours, the person may gradually become unconscious and his mind will be in a trance. If it is lower than 70%, the patient is basically in a critical state, his vital signs may not last too long, and he may stop breathing at any time.

Is oxygen more concentrated in the lungs or blood?

Oxygen concentration is higher in the lungs. The lungs are the main place for gas exchange. The oxygen concentration in the alveoli is higher than that in the blood, so oxygen diffuses from the alveoli to the blood. At the same time, the carbon dioxide concentration in the blood is higher than that in the alveoli, so carbon dioxide diffuses from the blood to the alveoli to complete the gas exchange process.

Who needs to measure blood oxygen?

l People with high mental workload

People with high mental workload may experience insufficient brain oxygen supply because the brain consumes oxygen in large quantities. Especially for office workers and students who use their brains intensively in closed offices and classrooms, this situation may be aggravated by environmental hypoxia.

l People who snore frequently

Due to diseases (such as rhinitis), obesity, drinking, and other factors, many people's tongue root muscles may completely block the respiratory tract in their sleep. It manifests as uneven snoring, often pausing and then suddenly snoring, which is sleep apnea syndrome.

l People in plateau hypoxic environments

When traveling from low-altitude areas to high-altitude areas, the human body suddenly enters a low-pressure and low-oxygen environment, and the body may experience hypoxia. Some people will show symptoms such as headache, fatigue, and dyspnea. Observe the blood oxygen concentration and remind yourself to supplement oxygen.

l Patients with chronic respiratory diseases

Patients with chronic respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have symptoms such as shortness of breath and dyspnea. Hypoxemia is prone to occur. A timely understanding of the body's blood oxygen content can prompt patients to undergo oxygen therapy.

l Elderly people

For elderly people over 60 years old, the average blood oxygen saturation is lower than that of young people, so they need to check their blood oxygen status frequently.

How to increase blood oxygen?

l Reasonable diet

Eat more foods rich in iron, protein, folic acid, etc. Such as lean meat, eggs, beans, spinach, etc. It helps the body to produce more hemoglobin and improve blood oxygen transport capacity.

l Moderate exercise

① Long-term high-intensity exercise may reduce blood oxygen saturation. Moderate aerobic exercise can increase lung capacity, improve cardiopulmonary function, and increase blood oxygen saturation.

② Integrate deep breathing into aerobic and anaerobic exercise. When running, pay attention to exhaling and inhaling every 3 steps. When lifting weights, pay attention to exhaling and inhaling.

l Moderate exercise

Maintaining adequate sleep and avoiding excessive fatigue and mental tension can promote physical immunity and improve blood oxygen saturation.

l Oxygen therapy

Oxygen therapy is mainly to increase arterial oxygen partial pressure, oxygen saturation and oxygen content to correct hypoxemia, ensure oxygen supply to tissues, and relieve tissue hypoxia.

l Hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy mainly uses special, sealed, high-pressure resistant devices to pressurize and inhale oxygen to improve the patient's hypoxia and ischemia. Hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy can increase the oxygen partial pressure in the blood, and the inhaled high-pressure oxygen can diffuse in the blood, which is more conducive to alleviating the hypoxia of tissues.

How Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber Increase Blood Oxygen Levels

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) increases the oxygen concentration in the blood by allowing individuals to inhale pure oxygen in an environment with higher-than-normal atmospheric pressure. According to relevant studies, hyperbaric oxygen chambers can significantly increase blood oxygen levels, especially under high-pressure conditions.

l Increase in blood oxygen concentration:

At normal atmospheric pressure, blood oxygen concentration is limited by the solubility of oxygen. However in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, due to the increase in external pressure, oxygen can be dissolved in the plasma part of the blood at a higher concentration. This allows more oxygen to be delivered to tissues and organs, even if the hemoglobin in the red blood cells is saturated.

l Dissolution and transportation of oxygen:

Under normal conditions, the primary way blood oxygen is carried is through hemoglobin. But in a hyperbaric oxygen environment, oxygen is not only transported through hemoglobin but also directly dissolved in the plasma. This mechanism can significantly increase the amount of oxygen available in the blood, especially in tissues that require a higher oxygen supply, such as the brain or muscles.

l Indications and effects:

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been used in a variety of clinical scenarios. Such as acute carbon monoxide poisoning, post-traumatic hypoxia, chronic trauma, diabetic ulcers, radiation injury, etc. Research shows that in these situations, HBOT can increase blood oxygen supply and promote healing and repair.

l Changes in blood oxygen levels:

According to research, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can significantly increase blood oxygen saturation. For example, in some acute conditions, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, HBOT can quickly increase blood oxygen levels and restore normal tissue function.

To sum up, the hyperbaric oxygen chamber can effectively increase blood oxygen levels, especially in improving plasma oxygen solubility and accelerating oxygen delivery. In specific clinical applications, it has been shown to have a significant effect in improving tissue oxygenation, promoting recovery, and treating symptoms of hypoxia.