Normal and Abnormal Blood Oxygen Levels During Sleep
Low sleep apnea oxygen level is a sign that your treatment for sleep apnea is not effective.
Healthy lungs keep the blood oxygenated at a level between 95 and 100%—if it dips below 92%, it's a cause for concern and a doctor might decide to intervene with supplemental oxygen. Oxygen Level Guidance 90% or less This oxygen level is very concerning and may indicate a severe medical problem. Call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room immediately. You may need an urgent x-ray or heart test. 91% to 94% This oxygen level is concerning and may indicate a medical problem. Call your health care provider immediately.
Patients with breathing problems during sleep (sleep apnea, COPD) often have low oxygen levels in their blood.
Keep in mind that anything below 90% oxygen level is dangerous to your body and require intervention. Another thing to consider is that the brain can only survive 4 minutes once oxygen is completely cut off.
In this page you'll learn:
- What should your oxygen level be during sleep,
- How sleep apnea affects the oxygen levels in your blood,
- How oxygen levels affect your body,
- The link between pregnancy and low oxygen levels in obese women,
- How to monitor oxygen saturation levels,
- What is the best finger oximeter to monitor blood oxygen levels,
- How to treat sleep apnea oxygen level.
Oxygen Levels During Sleep Apnea
In sleep, the upper airway muscle tone of the patients with sleep apnea tends to narrow and collapses temporarily. When this happens, the breathing stops accompanied by a drop in blood oxygen levels and arousal from sleep.
The low oxygen levels during sleep can make you feel very tired in the morning and will contribute to more restless sleep.
Furthermore, when the oxygen levels start to drop, the carbon dioxide levels build up in your blood. This can lead to morning headaches, fatigue and sleepiness during the day.
Scientific Proofs - Oxygen Levels Decreases During Apneas
Even the most recent studies (2012) demonstrates the link between sleep apnea and oxygen desaturation. That's why the oximeter is an important tool in clinical assessment.
Symptom Oxygen Low Pulse High
With a finger pulse oximeter you can monitor yourself to see how effective is CPAP (you'll learn how to do this bellow). The device can also be used to diagnose sleep apnea, but only if you use a quality product.
For more information on how to use an oximeter to diagnose sleep apnea, read the portable pulse oximeter article.
How Does Sleep Apnea Oxygen Level Affect the Body?
Any value of blood oxygen level bellow 92% is abnormal. However, the number of desaturations and the time spent with abnormal oxygen levels is important.
For example, if you only desaturated below 92% once or twice during a 7 hour sleep, and the desaturation level lasted only a couple of seconds, it's not a reason for worry.
Your body will be seriously affected when you'll have long term low oxygen levels. This can lead to:
- heart rhythm problems,
- increasing pressure on the right side of the heart,
- fluid build up in the body,
- heart failure,
- stroke.
Increasing the pressure on the right side of the heart
The right side of the heart has the role of pumping blood through the lungs, which requires a much lower pressure.
A higher pressure can lead to severe fluid buildup in the body that can cause life-threatening shortness of breath, heart failure and even death.
Please call your doctor urgently if you experience chest pain or shortness of breath that is not relieved by rest.
Monitoring Your Blood Oxygen Levels
If your doctor discovers that your blood oxygen level (oxygen saturation) is less than about 90% during the day (when you are resting), then your oxygen levels are probably dropping during the night. This means that you have sleep apnea, or other respiratory disorders, like UARS.
Your doctor may recommend overnight monitoring of your oxygen levels using am oximeter. In a sleep study, you usually have the oximeter attached on the finger.
You can use a portable oxygen saturation monitor or oximeter, a cool little device that can record your sleep apnea oxygen level and pulse rate during sleep. A medical approved oximeter is truly a great tool to see how well CPAP is working for you.
A tip before buying an oximeter: you would do well to invest in a recording oximeter with software. You can upload your data in a computer, and you can go to your sleep specialist with the results.
See an example in the followingvideo:
For more info about sleep study for sleep apnea, see sleep studies.
So, if you have a low blood oxygen level, follow up with the sleep study as soon as possible.
Continued drops in O2 levels will cause damage to cognitive function, short term memory, stroke and heart attack in your sleep, and a host of other problems.
Oxygen Levels in Pregnant Women
Overweight women who are pregnant or women who gain too much weight during pregnancy are at a higher risk of developing sleep apnea. This can cause a drop in blodd oxygen levels during sleep which can create complications for the baby.
So if you are overweight or gained a lot of weight during pregnancy, speak with your doctor to investigate if you have sleep apnea.
For more info about obesity, see sleep apnea and obesity.
Improving Sleep Apnea Oxygen Level
Patients with sleep apnea are usually treated with CPAP machines. If apnea episodes disappear, the oxygen levels will improve to normal levels.
How often should you use the CPAP?
If your doctor prescribed CPAP therapy, you should NEVER go a night EVER without a CPAP on or even take a nap without one.
More strategies to treat sleep apnea:
If your oxygen saturations drop significantly and persist during the night, you may benefit from overnight oxygen delivered by nasal masks or nasal prongs.
CPAP and Oxygen Levels During Sleep
You can have low oxygen levels during sleep even if you use the CPAP. This means that your CPAP doesn't have the desired effect.
That's why is important to monitor your oxygen and pulse rate.
To keep a better eye on your sleep apnea oxygen level you might consider purchasing a finger pulse oximeter.
Remember: don't use inferior equipment to measure your well-being and don't change anything without checking that information with a second opinion or proper equipment.
Sleep Apnea › Sleep Apnea Side Effects › Sleep Apnea Oxygen Level
Your body is a fine-tuned machine more complex than the most advanced devices ever invented. Like state-of-the-art computers and high-performance automobiles, body systems don't work for free. They need energy. So while you can skip breakfast without too many problems, you can't hold your breath safely for more than a minute or two.
Oxygen provides the fuel that lets you laugh with friends, solve complicated mental tasks, go for an intensive hike or relax with your favorite book. Low blood oxygen levels can impede all of these activities and more.
Signs Of Low Oxygen In Body
Understanding Blood Oxygen Levels
What do the terms mean in blood tests and oxygen measurements?
- Arterial blood gas (ABG): This common blood test is used to check the levels of oxygen in your blood, as well as blood pH and carbon dioxide present.
- Millimeters of mercury (mm Hg): This type of measurement is taken from the pressure from gases such as oxygen. Test results appear as a number such as 85 mm Hg.
- Oxygen saturation: This measurement detects how well the hemoglobin in your red blood cells is transporting oxygen through the body. Oxygen saturation always is given as a percentage.
If the levels of oxygen in your blood fall too low, this condition is called hypoxemia. It doesn't take long for hypoxemia to lead to hypoxia, a term that means your body's tissues and organs are also beginning to run out of oxygen. Hypoxia is a very serious condition.
Healthy Blood Oxygen Levels for Adults
An ideal ABG test reading lies between 75 to 100 mm Hg, with blood saturation levels somewhere between 95 and 100 percent. People who have chronic respiratory problems should consult a health professional to know optimal personal oxygen level targets.
When blood oxygen levels fall below 60 mm Hg or 90 percent saturation, they are considered very low. If this happens, it's critical to head to the hospital immediately.
Patients with breathing problems during sleep (sleep apnea, COPD) often have low oxygen levels in their blood.
Keep in mind that anything below 90% oxygen level is dangerous to your body and require intervention. Another thing to consider is that the brain can only survive 4 minutes once oxygen is completely cut off.
In this page you'll learn:
- What should your oxygen level be during sleep,
- How sleep apnea affects the oxygen levels in your blood,
- How oxygen levels affect your body,
- The link between pregnancy and low oxygen levels in obese women,
- How to monitor oxygen saturation levels,
- What is the best finger oximeter to monitor blood oxygen levels,
- How to treat sleep apnea oxygen level.
Oxygen Levels During Sleep Apnea
In sleep, the upper airway muscle tone of the patients with sleep apnea tends to narrow and collapses temporarily. When this happens, the breathing stops accompanied by a drop in blood oxygen levels and arousal from sleep.
The low oxygen levels during sleep can make you feel very tired in the morning and will contribute to more restless sleep.
Furthermore, when the oxygen levels start to drop, the carbon dioxide levels build up in your blood. This can lead to morning headaches, fatigue and sleepiness during the day.
Scientific Proofs - Oxygen Levels Decreases During Apneas
Even the most recent studies (2012) demonstrates the link between sleep apnea and oxygen desaturation. That's why the oximeter is an important tool in clinical assessment.
Symptom Oxygen Low Pulse High
With a finger pulse oximeter you can monitor yourself to see how effective is CPAP (you'll learn how to do this bellow). The device can also be used to diagnose sleep apnea, but only if you use a quality product.
For more information on how to use an oximeter to diagnose sleep apnea, read the portable pulse oximeter article.
How Does Sleep Apnea Oxygen Level Affect the Body?
Any value of blood oxygen level bellow 92% is abnormal. However, the number of desaturations and the time spent with abnormal oxygen levels is important.
For example, if you only desaturated below 92% once or twice during a 7 hour sleep, and the desaturation level lasted only a couple of seconds, it's not a reason for worry.
Your body will be seriously affected when you'll have long term low oxygen levels. This can lead to:
- heart rhythm problems,
- increasing pressure on the right side of the heart,
- fluid build up in the body,
- heart failure,
- stroke.
Increasing the pressure on the right side of the heart
The right side of the heart has the role of pumping blood through the lungs, which requires a much lower pressure.
A higher pressure can lead to severe fluid buildup in the body that can cause life-threatening shortness of breath, heart failure and even death.
Please call your doctor urgently if you experience chest pain or shortness of breath that is not relieved by rest.
Monitoring Your Blood Oxygen Levels
If your doctor discovers that your blood oxygen level (oxygen saturation) is less than about 90% during the day (when you are resting), then your oxygen levels are probably dropping during the night. This means that you have sleep apnea, or other respiratory disorders, like UARS.
Your doctor may recommend overnight monitoring of your oxygen levels using am oximeter. In a sleep study, you usually have the oximeter attached on the finger.
You can use a portable oxygen saturation monitor or oximeter, a cool little device that can record your sleep apnea oxygen level and pulse rate during sleep. A medical approved oximeter is truly a great tool to see how well CPAP is working for you.
A tip before buying an oximeter: you would do well to invest in a recording oximeter with software. You can upload your data in a computer, and you can go to your sleep specialist with the results.
See an example in the followingvideo:
For more info about sleep study for sleep apnea, see sleep studies.
So, if you have a low blood oxygen level, follow up with the sleep study as soon as possible.
Continued drops in O2 levels will cause damage to cognitive function, short term memory, stroke and heart attack in your sleep, and a host of other problems.
Oxygen Levels in Pregnant Women
Overweight women who are pregnant or women who gain too much weight during pregnancy are at a higher risk of developing sleep apnea. This can cause a drop in blodd oxygen levels during sleep which can create complications for the baby.
So if you are overweight or gained a lot of weight during pregnancy, speak with your doctor to investigate if you have sleep apnea.
For more info about obesity, see sleep apnea and obesity.
Improving Sleep Apnea Oxygen Level
Patients with sleep apnea are usually treated with CPAP machines. If apnea episodes disappear, the oxygen levels will improve to normal levels.
How often should you use the CPAP?
If your doctor prescribed CPAP therapy, you should NEVER go a night EVER without a CPAP on or even take a nap without one.
More strategies to treat sleep apnea:
If your oxygen saturations drop significantly and persist during the night, you may benefit from overnight oxygen delivered by nasal masks or nasal prongs.
CPAP and Oxygen Levels During Sleep
You can have low oxygen levels during sleep even if you use the CPAP. This means that your CPAP doesn't have the desired effect.
That's why is important to monitor your oxygen and pulse rate.
To keep a better eye on your sleep apnea oxygen level you might consider purchasing a finger pulse oximeter.
Remember: don't use inferior equipment to measure your well-being and don't change anything without checking that information with a second opinion or proper equipment.
Sleep Apnea › Sleep Apnea Side Effects › Sleep Apnea Oxygen Level
Your body is a fine-tuned machine more complex than the most advanced devices ever invented. Like state-of-the-art computers and high-performance automobiles, body systems don't work for free. They need energy. So while you can skip breakfast without too many problems, you can't hold your breath safely for more than a minute or two.
Oxygen provides the fuel that lets you laugh with friends, solve complicated mental tasks, go for an intensive hike or relax with your favorite book. Low blood oxygen levels can impede all of these activities and more.
Signs Of Low Oxygen In Body
Understanding Blood Oxygen Levels
What do the terms mean in blood tests and oxygen measurements?
- Arterial blood gas (ABG): This common blood test is used to check the levels of oxygen in your blood, as well as blood pH and carbon dioxide present.
- Millimeters of mercury (mm Hg): This type of measurement is taken from the pressure from gases such as oxygen. Test results appear as a number such as 85 mm Hg.
- Oxygen saturation: This measurement detects how well the hemoglobin in your red blood cells is transporting oxygen through the body. Oxygen saturation always is given as a percentage.
If the levels of oxygen in your blood fall too low, this condition is called hypoxemia. It doesn't take long for hypoxemia to lead to hypoxia, a term that means your body's tissues and organs are also beginning to run out of oxygen. Hypoxia is a very serious condition.
Healthy Blood Oxygen Levels for Adults
An ideal ABG test reading lies between 75 to 100 mm Hg, with blood saturation levels somewhere between 95 and 100 percent. People who have chronic respiratory problems should consult a health professional to know optimal personal oxygen level targets.
When blood oxygen levels fall below 60 mm Hg or 90 percent saturation, they are considered very low. If this happens, it's critical to head to the hospital immediately.
Ways Low Oxygen Levels Affects Your Body
Low oxygen levels can have a negative effect on body organs. When your liver, kidneys, heart and other organs do not receive sufficient oxygen for a prolonged amount of time, they become damaged.
What if oxygen drops so low that hypoxia sets in? Without vital oxygen to drive energy production, body processes simply can't continue, and essential organs — such as the brain, heart, pancreas and liver — start to shut down almost immediately.
The Symptoms of Low Blood Oxygen or Hypoxia
Low blood oxygen produces a number of physical symptoms:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Fast heart rate
- Accelerated breathing
- Headache
- Sweating
- High blood pressure
As oxygen levels fall, effects can become more severe, and new problems may appear:
- Blue or bright red skin, lips and fingernails
- Confusion or difficulty speaking
- Vision problems
- Chest pain
- Wheezing
If you or a loved one notice sudden changes in oxygen levels, have an asthma attack or feel as if you're choking, it's best to call 911 immediately.
Checking Your Blood Oxygen Levels
Many people will never need to perform a blood oxygen test. However, if you suspect you may have low blood oxygen, it's easy for a doctor to include an ABG blood test in a routine checkup to put your mind at ease.
What if you have a respiratory problem, such as a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? In that case, your physician will likely recommend keeping closer tabs on blood oxygen levels. You can do this at home using a pulse oximeter, a small device that clips to the finger to measure oxygen saturation levels. The results aren't as accurate as a blood test — many devices have a variance of around 2 percent — but they let you check your results more often and without extracting any blood.
Causes of Poor Blood Oxygen Levels
Low oxygen may point to underlying problems in the heart, lungs or the blood itself. It can also be the result of a respiratory disease, such as bronchitis or pneumonia. Here are other possible causes:
- Anemia: The body isn't producing enough red blood cells, or these cells have insufficient levels of hemoglobin.
- COPD: A condition that includes emphysema and chronic asthma, COPD makes it more difficult to breathe due to increased swelling and mucus production. This reduces oxygen levels.
- Pulmonary edema: Fluid accumulates in the lungs, preventing them from working properly and reducing their capacity.
- Heart disease: Because your heart is what drives oxygen-rich blood throughout the body, heart problems lead to reduced oxygen circulation.
- Sleep apnea: A person with sleep apnea temporarily stops breathing dozens or hundreds of times during the night. This can lead to periods of damaging hypoxia.
Besides these physical causes, certain circumstances can lead to lower blood oxygen, such as visiting high-altitude locations, recently recovering from surgery or going through a pregnancy. Also, certain prescription medicines may cause lower oxygen saturation as a side effect.
Treating or Preventing Hypoxia and Low Blood Oxygen
There are many medical options for improving your blood oxygen levels, ranging from long-term oxygen supplementation treatments with an oxygen mask to emergency breathing restoration involving bronchodilators (inhalers) or corticosteroids to fight inflammation.
Aside from medical treatments, there are several natural lifestyle changes that can improve your oxygen levels:
Low Oxygen Level In Blood
- Breathe more deeply: Breathing exercises help you to fill your lungs, improving the amount of oxygen available.
- Improve indoor air quality: Fresh, contaminant-free air is great for asthma, allergies and other respiratory conditions.
- Don't smoke: Cigarette smoke, even the secondhand variety, causes long-term damage to the lungs and reduces breathing capacity.
- Eat iron-rich foods: Iron is essential in creating hemoglobin molecules for oxygen transport. Munching on leafy greens, beans, lentils, and eggs can boost iron levels and prevent anemia.
- Exercise regularly: A healthy amount of exercise maintains your lungs in optimal condition, increasing the amount of oxygen they supply to the blood.
Taking Good Care of Your Body: Watch Your Blood Oxygen Levels
Your body needs oxygen like plants need sunlight. If you suspect that you may not be getting sufficient oxygen, don't ignore it. Contact a health professional to request a simple ABG blood test or a painless, noninvasive pulse oximeter test. By keeping an eye on blood oxygen levels, even people with chronic respiratory conditions can enjoy greater comfort and better health.
What Happens When Oxygen Level Below 90
Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/hypoxia-hypoxemia#1
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321044.php
https://www.verywellhealth.com/oxygen-saturation-914796
https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/hypoxemia/basics/when-to-see-doctor/sym-20050930
https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/best-ways-to-increase-oxygen-level-in-blood/
https://www.healthline.com/health/normal-blood-oxygen-level#oxygen-levels
