If you've been wondering how to use the Blood Oxygen app on your Apple Watch, you've come to the right place. Over time, the Apple Watch has gone from being a simple smart watch that offered you an extra screen to control your notifications, to becoming a a device that helps us in many areas of health.
The Apple Watch is one of the best smart watches you can buy right now, and although it is true that in the sports section, it does not reach the levels of other watches, the set of capabilities of the watch make it position itself as the number one.
If you choose as minimum for an Apple Watch Series 6, then you will get the blood oxygen sensor. That will allow the watch to measure your blood oxygen levels whenever you want, and store the data in the Health app on your phone. It is important to note that the Blood Oxygen app has been designed for general fitness and wellness purposes only and should not be used as a replacement for professional medical advice.
So what's the problem with measuring blood oxygen levels? How do you do it on the Apple Watch and why would you want to do it? To do this, we are going to see how to use the Blood Oxygen application on Apple Watch.
What is Blood Oxygen?
Before we get into how and why Apple allows you to measure it, let's get into what we mean by blood oxygen. In its simplest form, refers to the amount of oxygen present in red blood cells, which transport that oxygen throughout the body.
That oxygen is the body's fuel and is vital for every function it performs to keep us alive. If the body is struggling to absorb the adequate amount of oxygen it needs, it may have difficulty carrying out those functions properly and that is when you may experience low blood oxygen levels and problems that may be a result of those lower levels. .
What can cause low blood oxygen levels?
There are a variety of causes why blood oxygen levels in the body decrease.. Conditions such as asthma, infections such as pneumonia and respiratory viruses and diseases such as Covid-19 can affect the body's ability to get oxygen where it should be causing levels to drop.
Being in high altitude environments where the oxygen in the atmosphere becomes lower than normal is also another scenario where you may experience dropping oxygen levels in your blood, so you may experience symptoms such as headaches. , dizziness, confusion and difficulty breathing.
How can you use blood oxygen data on Apple Watch?
Apple allows you to take measurements and monitor blood oxygen levels during the day and while you sleep. Apple says that the data and measurements generated by your blood oxygen sensor are only intended for general fitness and wellness purposes.
So for those hoping to be able to use it in a similar way to a dedicated pulse oximeter device to offer more serious health information that might allude to some issues related to low blood oxygen levels, that's not the case with the Apple Watch. But it is true, since we have seen many comparisons and tests today, that the apple watch is very accurate, and in reality, it does offer data as accurate as a pulse oximeter that we can buy at the pharmacy.
One of the ways it could be used is in the altitude scenario (when we climb a mountain), monitoring your body levels when the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere is lower to see how your body is responding to the new conditions.
It could also offer a window for recovery from training, especially since there is a greater demand for oxygen use during exercise. Slightly lower blood oxygen levels may be an indication that you are still recovering from a hard workout and it may be a warning to consider taking a day of rest before a new hard workout.
What is a normal blood oxygen level?
Like other smartwatches and fitness trackers that offer to measure blood oxygen levels, your measurements will be presented as a percentage. As stated by Apple and key health bodies such as the WHO, a blood oxygen level of 95-100% is considered normal. Below that, it could be an indication of a problem.
Which Apple Watch can measure blood oxygen?
Currently, any Apple Watch from Series 6 onwards are capable of monitoring blood levels. blood oxygen. The Blood Oxygen app is available in certain countries and regions, which you can consult here. Apple also says the feature is designed for users 18 and older.
How does the Apple Watch measure blood oxygen levels?
The technology that makes everything happen is integrated into the optical heart rate sensor which is located on the back of the Apple Watch, and like the heart rate sensor, the process has to do with the lights.
When it's time to take a measurement, that sensor shines red and green LEDs as well as infrared light into the blood vessels in your wrist. Unlike pulse oximeters, that light is not sent through the body. Instead, photodiodes that convert light into electrical current measure how much light is reflected off the back of the watch.
This data is analyzed by Apple's algorithms to calculate the color of the blood that has been detected. Bright red blood, or arterial blood, carries more oxygen, while dark red venous blood carries less.
Therefore, it is able to take measurements of that more oxygen-rich blood that is taken from the heart and sent around the rest of the body to give you that blood oxygen level as a percentage.
How to take a blood oxygen measurement on Apple Watch
- The first thing you need to do is make sure that your Apple Watch has the latest version of WatchOS and that you are using a compatible iPhone, minimum iPhone 6S or later with iOS 14 or later.
- Next, go to the Watch app on your iPhone and then to the section My watch. Scroll down to find the app blood oxygen and touch to open it. From here you can activate the ability to take blood oxygen measurements.
- You can also choose to enable the watch to take blood oxygen measurements during sleep tracking and in cinema modes. Or you can turn it off if you're worried that the red light used to track it could become a nuisance.
- Back on your watch, select the blood oxygen app. If this is your first time taking a measurement, you will be given some tips to ensure you get a good measurement.
- Things like making sure your watch is snug on your wrist, but not too tight. Besides, Keeping the watch screen facing up and resting your wrist on a table can also improve readings.
- When you are ready to take a reading, press the digital crown and the readings It will take 15 seconds. Once completed, you will get a percentage measurement and note that you can view your data in the Apple Health app.
Where to find blood oxygen measurements in Apple Health
- If you'd like to see a log of all the readings taken, along with a refresher on what the data means, head to the app Health on your iPhone, go to Explore, then look for the tab called Vital Signs. If you have taken a blood oxygen measurement or have been monitoring it during sleep, you will be able to see your data here.
- You will also be able to see daily, weekly, monthly and annual data. Select Show more blood oxygen data and you can also see blood oxygen level ranges during those same periods, as well as daily averages.
How accurate is the wrist blood oxygen measurement?
It's great that Apple can offer this data, but is it really reliable? Well, just like using light-based technology to measure wrist heart rate, it's using a similar method to take blood oxygen measurements. That brings with it some similar problems when it comes to getting accurate data.
Apple describes some factors that could affect getting reliable measurements, including having tattoos or experiencing low skin perfusion, which can be caused by being in cold environments. You may have difficulty getting readings if your heart rate is also too high.
Wrist movement can affect the readings, as with other smartwatches and fitness trackers that measure blood oxygen. That's likely one reason Apple prefers to take measurements during sleep, where that motion issue is reduced.