You might be familiar with Sp02 or blood oxygen saturation levels, or you may not be. If you are looking into this topic, whether out of curiosity or necessity, it is important to know what exactly blood oxygen saturation levels are, what they mean, and why they are so important.
After all, our bodies need lots of blood to keep going, and that blood needs to contain oxygen. Without enough oxygen, our bodies shut down and stop working. So, why exactly is good oxygen saturation of the blood so important?
What is Good Oxygen Saturation of the Blood?
Since we are talking about why having good oxygen saturation in the blood is important, it’s probably good to know what good oxygen saturation actually is, or in other words, what a healthy Sp02 level is.
Sp02 is measured as a percentage, so from 0% to 100%. A Sp02 level of 100% is the best possible reading you can get. Healthy adults should have a blood oxygen saturation level over 95%, with between 90% and 95% indication mild to moderate hypoxia, with anything under 90% signaling severe hypoxia and the need for immediate medical attention.
Means Your Lungs are Working
One thing that it means if you have good oxygen saturation in the blood is that your lungs are working properly and are fully capable of delivering the maximum amount of oxygen possible to your body. Your lungs have thousands of these little sacs inside of them known as alveoli.
These alveoli absorb oxygen from the air you breathe and then transfer that oxygen to your blood stream. If you have good oxygen saturation of the blood, it is an indication that you do not have any respiratory issues. Of course, this is important because your whole body needs oxygen to function.
Allows for Healthy Organ Function
One of the biggest reasons why good blood oxygen saturation is so important is because all of your organs, cells, and tissues require oxygen to function. Your heart, lungs, brain, liver, cells, tissues, and literally everything in your body requires oxygen to function properly.
Without an adequate amount of oxygen, these organs will become damaged over time. Prolonged periods of low blood oxygen saturation can lead to permanent damage and the eventual shutting down of your organs.
For instance, your liver consumes well over 20% of the oxygen your body takes in, with your brain using just under 20%, and your heart using somewhere around 12%. As you can see, these 3 major organs require massive amounts of oxygen to function properly.
Keeps your Muscles Going – Physical Activity
Your organs are not the only things in your body which require large amounts of oxygen to function properly. Good blood oxygen saturation is also required in order to engage in physical activity, and the harder and heavier that physical activity is, the more oxygen your body needs.
Of course, your muscles require oxygenated blood to function properly, particularly for prolonged periods and at high stress loads, such as when you are exercising. If you don’t have enough oxygen in your blood, your muscles won’t be able to keep up with the exercise.
This can quickly cause muscle fatigue, the buildup of lactic acid, that horrible burning sensation, and it will also quickly lead to a shortness of breath, increased heart rate, and increased blood pressure too. In other words, without enough oxygen, your muscles won’t function properly.
Sign of Good Health
The bottom line is that having an adequate oxygen saturation level in the blood is a sign of good health and that everything in your body is functioning properly.
That said, if you do not have good oxygen saturation of the blood, a level below 94%, it is a sign that something is wrong, and it can be an indication of a large number of health concerns, some more serious than others, but all of which are causes for concern.
So, if you have low blood oxygen saturation, what could it possibly mean?
- Asthma
- Heart disease
- Congenital heart disease
- Being at a high altitude
- Anemia
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Emphysema
- Interstitial lung disease
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome
- Pneumonia
- Artery obstruction (to the lungs)
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Excess fluid in the lungs
- Sleep apnea
Conclusion
As you can see, having enough oxygen in the blood is important for a number of reasons, and if you don’t have enough oxygen in the lungs, it is a sign that you may be suffering from one of the above conditions.