Did you know that there are a few ways that you can increase your oxygen level at home?
By Afrina Ghazali | April 8th, 2022
Since most countries have announced going towards endemic phase, we can look forward to living the life we used to before the pandemic. But this also means, we have to live with COVID-19 as well. It's possible to still contract the virus but it's no longer a panic as it was now that most of us have received the vaccination as a protection.
One of the many symptoms that people get when contracting th COVID-19 virus includes a decrease in oxygen level. It's normal for most people to worry once there's a dropping patter to the reading. This article will roughly tell you all you need to know about your blood oxygen level as well as when to and when to not worry about it.
The oxygen we breathe in gets transported through all parts of the body that's delivered by the blood. Red blood cells bind with the oxygen that gets into your lungs and carries it through your bloodstream. It's important to keep track of your oxygen level as oxygen helps regenerate decayed cells, supplies the body with energ, aids in boosting immune systems and a few others.
It's important to keep your oxygen maintained at the safe level. So even if you're at home, please keep the oximeter to be safely used when times in need. You can refer the list below to understand the reading of oximeter:
96% and more: Normal95%: Acceptable to continue home monitoring
93% - 94%: Best to seek advice from your GP especially if you're experiencing difficulty breathing or chest ache
92% or less: Require of urgent medical attention, call 999 if it gets serious
Here's a few pointers to increasing your oxygen level in your blood can be done naturally:
There are a few ways of breathing exercises that can be practices to open up your airways and simultaneously help increase the amount of oxygen level in your blood.
A few example of breathing exercises include deep belly breathing, pursed-lip breathing, yawn-to-a-smile breathing, humming while exhaling breathing and a few others.
Clinical breathwork is one of the exercise that can help too.
Make sure that even if you have to stay inside the house for a long period of time, make sure you open your doors and windows to let the outside fresh air in and circulate the air flow in a way that you don't suffocate yourself
Lying down in the prone position or sometimes also known as proning, is said to be amongst the best position to increase the oxygen level.
Proning is done by lying down on your belly with your chest on top of a pillow or two. It is recommended to stay in this position for at least a few hours long when your SpO2 reading is low. The air ventilation in the lungs will be improved and help increase the oxygen saturation.
There is a reason why keeping yourself hydrated is important. Not only will hydration keeps your skin healthy and help ensuring your body systems functioning well, it can also help regulate your body temperature and boost your immunity system.
Apart from that, when you drink a lot of water, it helps your lungs to improve their ability to oxygenate and expel carbon dioxide. This way, oxygen saturation level can be improved.
Well if you find it hard to find a seed to grow out of, move any of those plants outside your house into your room. This way, not only can you have the 'green' view, it also helps supply oxygen into your room.
The above are some of the things you could do when your SpO2 reading is still monitor-able from home. Should your oximeter start signing a dramatic decrease in the percentage of oxygen saturation to the concerning level of 94% and below, please seek medical help as accordingly.
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