Blood Oxygen

My Apple Watch has an app to measure blood oxygen. 

On later models the function was disabled, after a lawsuit by the medical equipment company Masimo, which claimed Apple infringed on its patent. But blood oxygen monitoring may be coming back, since the CEO of Masimo recently resigned, and hopes are that the two companies can reach an agreement to allow the app to be enabled on the watch again.

My older model still has the app. And it's interesting that it tells me I am at a high elevation environment when it takes a measurement. Which is true -- I live at just under 7,000 feet elevation. My results are usually 95% - 98% which is in the healthy range even though the watch wants me to know I'm in a place where the oxygen in the air is less than at sea level. 

(I looked it up, at this altitude there is 25% less oxygen in the air.)

At night my blood oxygen dips lower occasionally, down to 90% or 92% briefly at times, according to my watch and also an actual sleep study my doctor had me do one night. This causes the doctor some concern. Medically it's called hypoxia which is not good for your heart over time.

But once again, helpfully, my watch tells me just the facts: the night time measurements are taken at a high elevation.

When I recently visited family in California not far from the coast, every day it was 99% and at night never dipped below 95%. A couple mornings it was 100%. Huh. So there is a difference at higher altitude.

I don't feel any different, though. When we first moved to Santa Fe I did notice I got winded going up stairs, but after a month that went away. Now I don't notice any difference in my breathing when I move about, whether I am at home or at sea level. 

What I do notice is that getting dehydrated hurts. It's not thirst. I get chest pains, flu-like symptoms and an achy feeling. I'm not sick, I just need a glass of water and then I'm fine. I've learned to pay attention to the pains and keep hydrated. 

But other than that small accommodation, I don't do anything different breathing and living up here at elevation. 

My doctor wants to see me about this night time low reading hypoxia, though, so I'll have to go talk to him. It's not sleep apnea, I was tested for that. It's age, asthma and altitude.

I have an appointment.