Scroll down to find out how you can identify if your blood oxygen level is low.
The red blood cells in your blood carry oxygen to all the organs and tissues throughout the body. This is an essential process as it helps keeping all the bodily functions active. When the blood oxygen level becomes very low, it disrupts all of those functions and leads you to certain health issues. Several factors such as asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, pulmonary edema, Interstitial lung disease and viral infection (such as covid-19) can lower the oxygen level in your blood.
The condition, also known as hypoxemia, come up with numerous symptoms.
Shortness of breath: Shortness of breath is one of the earliest signs of low blood oxygen level. It happens as your heart stops pumping blood at the right speed.
Headache: When your blood oxygen level becomes too low, it also restricts blood flow to the brain. As a result, there causes a tension between your brain tissues which leads you to headache. This can be both mild and severe.
Rapid breathing: As low blood oxygen level restricts blood flow to the heart; your heart starts working harder to cope with the pressure. This leads you to rapid breathing.
Dizziness: Your red blood cells carry oxygen to all the organs and tissues throughout the body. When there is not enough oxygen in the blood, the red blood cells can't work properly as well as supply oxygen to the bodily parts. This makes you feel dizzy or excessively tired.
High blood pressure: When there's a lack of oxygen in the blood, it makes the pulmonary arteries extremely narrow. As a result, the blood gets squeezed into a smaller space. This increases the level of your blood pressure.
Eye disorders: A lack of oxygen in the blood also affects your vision in several ways. Blurred vision, watery eyes, burning sensation in the eyes etc. are some conditions which indicate that your blood oxygen level is low.
Bluish lips: When your blood oxygen level is perfect, the blood remains healthy and provides your skin its normal glow. If there's a lack of oxygen in the blood, it causes a bluish tinge on the skin, especially lips.
Neurological complications: As low blood oxygen level causes a restriction in the blood supply to the brain tissues; it results in creating a disruption in the neurological functions. As a result, you suffer from numerous conditions including confusion, poor concentration, visual disorders, loss of consciousness, delirium etc.
Chest pain, continuous coughing, sense of euphoria etc. are some other signs that your blood oxygen level is low.
