Blood oxygen level 99 A 32-year-old male asked: i live in denver. I have a very slightly elevated red blood cell count, but normal blood oxygen levels 96%-99%. What can cause this? I have a 6.4 reading on red blood cell count. All other blood metrics are normal. My oxygen level dropped from 99 to 90. Thread starter jhn2001; Start date Today at 6:36 AM; Prev. 1; 2; First Prev 2 of 2 Go to page. Today at 10:37 AM #21 Nocan Jr. Joined Jul 9, 2020 Messages 203 Reaction score 243. QualityService said: Take boiling water 3-4 times a day. It will kill corora if it is there at all.
Oxygen levels don’t have to be confusing. Let’s make sense of them together.
- There are a lot of factors when it comes to your normal oxygen saturation level, and if you have COPD, you might find that your normal O2 saturation levels are lower than the normal range. While a “normal” reading for a healthy person is typically between 100% and 95%, a person with COPD may maintain an oxygen level of 94.
- What Are Normal Blood Oxygen Levels? For healthy patients with no other conditions, a blood oxygen level should be between 95 and 100 percent. You can never have a reading that is too “high” when it comes to blood oxygen ― 100 is perfect.
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.
99 Oxygen Level
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
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.
Interested in our article on Oxygen Levels: What Do My Numbers Mean?Share your thoughts and comments below.
The human body can survive without food for approximately three weeks and without water for about three days. How long can you survive without oxygen? Only about three minutes. These statistics demonstrate just how essential oxygen is to human life and just how serious the effects of oxygen depletion in the body can be.
Oxygen Level Chart
Many people in the United States live with chronically low oxygen levels in the blood. This condition is known as hypoxemia. There are a number of factors that can contribute to hypoxemia, and the condition may be acute as well as chronic. The complications of hypoxemia are potentially serious, but it can also be treated.
Two Similar Names, Two Different Conditions
Some people may get confused about the difference between hypoxemia and hypoxia. Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they are separate but related conditions. The word “hypoxia” literally means “lack of oxygen.” The term “hypoxemia” is more specific, meaning a lack of oxygen in the blood.
Some doctors and medical publications generally apply the term “hypoxia” to refer to low blood oxygen levels. However, it is more accurate to use the term “hypoxemia” to refer specifically to lack of oxygen in the blood and “hypoxia” to refer to lack of oxygen in body organs and other tissues.
Body tissues receive oxygen from the blood, so when the circulatory system is unable to pump enough oxygenated blood around the body or if the oxygen level in the blood is insufficient, these tissues do not receive enough oxygen and hypoxia occurs. Therefore, hypoxia is secondary to (that is, caused by) hypoxemia, and prompt medical treatment for hypoxemia may prevent hypoxia from developing.
Testing for Low Blood Oxygen
There are several methods used to test for low blood oxygen. If your doctor suspects that you have either hypoxemia or hypoxia, he or she may order pulmonary function tests. Many tests are included under this broad term, but they typically involve blowing air into a tube that is attached to a computer or other measuring device to discover how your lungs are functioning.
However, if the concern is that you may have low levels of oxygen in your blood, your doctor may choose to test your blood directly. There are typically two methods of doing this: a pulse oximetry test and a test of arterial blood gases. These tests may also be performed in addition to pulmonary function tests.
Your doctor will often perform a pulse oximetry test first. Pulse oximetry has many advantages over an arterial blood gas test. Pulse ox, as it is often known, is easy to administer and noninvasive. However, the trade-off is that it has a wider margin of error than an ABG. If your doctor suspects that your pulse ox results are not accurate, he or she may order ABG testing, which requires a sample of blood from the artery in your wrist, to confirm the pulse oximetry findings.
Pulse oximetry is measured in percentages: 95 to 100 percent is considered normal for a healthy individual, and anything below 90 percent is abnormally low. ABG is measured in millimeters of mercury. A range of 80 to 100 mmHg is considered normal for arterial blood gases in a healthy individual.
Causes and Symptoms of Low Blood Oxygen
There are essentially three basic factors that may cause your blood oxygen level to be low. A condition of the circulatory system may prevent your blood from reaching your body tissues. Cardiovascular conditions that may contribute to hypoxemia include congenital heart defects, or problems with the tissue of your heart that are present at birth. A congenital heart defect may be diagnosed in childhood or go undetected until you are an adult. Another potential contributing cause is anemia, or lack of iron in the blood. Oxygen molecules in the blood are transported by iron, so a lack of this element means the blood cannot pick up and carry the oxygen that the body needs.
Even if the circulatory system is functioning properly, hypoxemia may result if the lungs themselves cannot take in enough oxygen. Lung conditions that may result in low blood oxygen include the following:
- Sleep apnea
- Blood clot in the lung (pulmonary embolism)
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Collapsed lung (pneumothorax)
- Emphysema
- Pneumonia
- Interstitial lung disease
Conditions that affect lung function may be acute, meaning they are severe and happen suddenly, or chronic, meaning they occur over time.
Hypoxemia can also result from a lack of oxygen in the atmosphere. This often occurs at high altitudes and can also result when the air is polluted by smoke or other contaminants. This type of hypoxemia may be acute and is often transient, meaning it goes away when the quality of the air improves.
Symptoms of hypoxemia can range in severity. The following are troubling symptoms that do not require emergency care but should be evaluated by a doctor as soon as possible:
- Symptoms of sleep apnea (waking up short of breath or choking)
- Shortness of breath at rest or after slight exertion
- Shortness of breath that is worse with exercise
The following symptoms require emergency care:
- A blue tinge to the skin or fingernails (cyanosis)
- Severe, acute shortness of breath that prevents functioning
- At high altitudes, shortness of breath accompanied by rapid heartbeat, cough, and retention of fluid
Treatment for Low Blood Oxygen
The treatment you may receive for low blood oxygen depends in part on what is causing it and whether it is acute or chronic. The first treatment usually administered for hypoxemia is administration of oxygen to increase the levels and prevent hypoxia from setting in. If the hypoxemia is acute, you may receive oxygen via a mask that fits over your mouth and nose, whereas if you require oxygen on a long-term basis, your doctor may prescribe oxygen tanks for you to carry around with you, and you’ll likely receive oxygen via a nasal cannula, a tube that inserts directly into your nose. Depending on what is causing the hypoxemia, it may be possible to treat with medications as well. Another major step you can take to prevent hypoxemia is to quit smoking and avoid breathing in second-hand smoke.
Low blood oxygen levels can have multiple causes as well as treatments. See your doctor to discuss options and work out the best individual plan to address your condition.
Sources:
https://www.businessinsider.com/longest-survival-records-water-food-sleep-breathing-2016-5
https://www.healthline.com/health/normal-blood-oxygen-level
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/test_procedures/pulmonary/pulmonary_function_tests_92,p07759
https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/hypoxemia/basics/when-to-see-doctor/sym-20050930
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321044.php
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17727-hypoxemia
https://www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/hypoxia-hypoxemia#1