{"id":766259,"date":"2022-02-21T12:00:48","date_gmt":"2022-02-21T20:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/?p=766259"},"modified":"2022-02-21T11:56:14","modified_gmt":"2022-02-21T19:56:14","slug":"how-to-use-apple-watch-blood-oxygen-sensor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/how-to\/how-to-use-apple-watch-blood-oxygen-sensor","title":{"rendered":"How to use Apple Watch blood oxygen sensor, and what it’s good for"},"content":{"rendered":"

The blood oxygen sensor featured in Apple Watch Series 6 and 7 is \u201cnot intended for medical use<\/a>,\u201d Apple says. That seems odd, considering that low blood oxygen is a serious medical condition<\/a>. If the watch’s monitor is not for medical use, then what exactly is it for?<\/p>\n

In this post, we\u2019ll look at what blood oxygen is, how Apple Watch measures it, how the device compares to medical-grade alternatives, and what you can<\/em> actually use it for.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What is Blood Oxygen and why does it matter?<\/h2>\n

The Blood Oxygen app<\/a> on Apple Watch Series 6 and 7 checks your oxygen saturation<\/a> level. This is sometimes informally referred to as \u201csats.\u201d It’s a measure of how much oxygen your blood is carrying from your lungs to the rest of your body. In combination with the nutrients you eat, oxygen provides the fuel that powers literally everything your body does: from moving your muscles, to growing your toenails, and even reading Cult of Mac<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In healthy adults, blood oxygen saturation is normally\u00a0between 95% and 100%<\/a>. If it goes below this level, your body won’t be getting all the oxygen it needs to function correctly. This condition is known as hypoxemia<\/a>, and it\u2019s usually accompanied by shortness of breath.<\/p>\n

How does Apple Watch measure blood oxygen saturation?<\/h3>\n

Oxygen is transported in your blood using a protein called hemoglobin<\/a> in\u00a0red blood cells<\/a>. When there\u2019s plenty of oxygen, it looks bright red. As the oxygen is used up, it\u00a0turns purple-blue<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This is why your arteries, which carry freshly oxygenated blood from your lungs, look red. Whereas your veins, which return the blood once the oxygen is used, look blue. It’s also why the Apple Watch Blood Oxygen app displays animated red and blue lines, although these appear to be just for decoration.<\/p>\n

Apple Watch uses a method known as pulse oximetry<\/a> to estimate how much oxygen your blood contains. It does this by checking the color of your blood. To measure this, a red light shines against the skin of your wrist and a sensor detects the light reflected back.<\/p>\n

How accurate is Apple Watch Blood Oxygen sensor?<\/h2>\n

The most accurate way to measure blood oxygen saturation is with a sample of blood from your arteries. This is\u00a0known as arterial oxygen saturation<\/a> or SaO2<\/sub>. (The \u201ca\u201d stands for artery.) But you need a doctor or nurse to take the sample, and a lab to process the results.<\/p>\n

Apple Watch, like all pulse oximeters, does not look at your arteries. Instead, it measures something slightly different: SpO2<\/sub>. The \u201cp\u201d stands for peripheral, because it looks at\u00a0capillaries<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 tiny blood vessels at the periphery of your body. This is like monitoring car traffic that comes off an exit ramp to figure out how busy the highway is.<\/p>\n

SpO2<\/sub> and SaO2<\/sub> are similar metrics, but have different medical applications<\/a>. SaO2<\/sub> is used for diagnosing anemic conditions, while SpO2<\/sub> is used for continuous monitoring, during surgery and emergency care.<\/p>\n

Why isn\u2019t Apple Watch\u2019s Blood Oxygen sensor medical-grade?<\/h3>\n

While devices that measure SpO2<\/sub> have important medical applications, they are normally clipped onto the tip of a finger, not wrapped around your wrist.<\/p>\n

Finger-based pulse oximeters<\/a> shine a light through your finger to a sensor on the other side. This is known as transmissive pulse oximetry. That\u2019s not possible on the wrist, because it\u2019s is too thick and bony for light to pass through.\u00a0So instead, Apple Watch uses reflectance pulse oximetry<\/a>. It measures light reflected off the wrist.<\/p>\n

Recent research<\/a> found \u201cno significant differences between the Apple Watch and commercial oximeter devices for … SpO2<\/sub>.\u201d But research from 2016<\/a> found that reflectance pulse oximetry \u201cpresents challenges with regard to clinical use.\u201d In particular, the precise position of the sensor is important. And if you move your wrist, it affects the results. This may be why Apple Watch nags you to stay still when you use the Blood Oxygen app, and why Apple warns it\u2019s \u201cnot intended for medical use.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other factors also can influence the accuracy of pulse oximeters. In 2021, the Food and Drug Administration<\/a>\u00a0warned these include: poor circulation, skin pigmentation, skin thickness, skin temperature and current tobacco use.<\/p>\n

How to check Blood Oxygen level with Apple Watch<\/h2>\n
\"How
How to test your blood oxygen saturation with Apple Watch.
Photo: Graham Bower\/Cult of Mac<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With those caveats in mind, Apple Watches equipped with the\u00a0 Blood Oxygen app do capture some useful data. The app will periodically check your levels in the background, but you also can manually check your blood oxygen level at any time.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find the Blood Oxygen app with all the other apps when you push the Digital Crown on your watch. It has a white app icon with red and blue arrows forming a circle. If it\u2019s not there, it will be for one of the following reasons:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. You haven\u2019t set up Blood Oxygen yet. In the Health app<\/strong> on your iPhone, go to Browse > Respiratory > Blood Oxygen > Enable <\/strong>and follow the instructions.<\/li>\n
  2. You may have deleted the Blood Oxygen app. To reinstall it, go to the App Store on your watch, search for Blood Oxygen and download it.<\/li>\n
  3. The feature may not be available in your region. Check this list<\/a> for details.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    To take a Blood Oxygen reading, just open the app, tap the start button and wait for 15 seconds. You need to keep still, so it\u2019s easiest to do it while sitting down, resting your wrist on a table.<\/p>\n

    When the test is over, the result is presented on screen as a percentage. It\u2019s also saved to the Health app on your iPhone for you to check later and compare with previous results. (To see past results, go to Browse > Respiratory > Blood Oxygen<\/strong>.)<\/p>\n

    \"How
    How to check your blood oxygen readings in the Health app.
    Photo: Graham Bower\/Cult of Mac<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Is my Blood Oxygen reading normal?<\/h3>\n

    Low blood oxygen concentration (below 95%) is a condition known as hypoxemia<\/a>. It can be caused by a variety of heart and lung diseases, including COVID-19. So if you are getting low readings, you should get checked out by your doctor.<\/p>\n

    However, since Apple Watch\u2019s blood oxygen sensor is not intended for medical use, if you have a diagnosed condition that requires home blood oxygen monitoring, you still need to use a pulse oximeter that is approved by your doctor.<\/p>\n

    So, what can<\/em> you use Apple Watch Blood Oxygen readings for?<\/h2>\n

    At this point, you might be wondering exactly what you can<\/em> use the blood oxygen feature for. Apple says it\u2019s for \u201cgeneral fitness and wellness purposes,<\/a>\u201d but what exactly does that mean?<\/p>\n

    Blood oxygen concentration doesn\u2019t change much during a workout. It might dip slightly<\/a>, but it should return to normal soon. So for most healthy people, it doesn\u2019t tell you much about your workout or fitness levels. But, there are a few sports where blood oxygen can become interesting, and they all have one thing in common: altitude.<\/p>\n

    Measure your home field advantage with Apple Watch<\/h3>\n

    The air we breath is comprised of about 21% oxygen<\/a>. But at higher altitudes, as the air gets thinner, there\u2019s less oxygen for our lungs to breath in.<\/p>\n

    That\u2019s why the Denver Broncos<\/a>\u00a0enjoy a home field advantage<\/a>\u00a0playing at Mile High Stadium<\/a>, near the Rocky Mountains<\/a>. \u00a0The Broncos are accustomed to playing at this altitude \u2014 1 mile above sea level (5,280 feet.) \u00a0But for visitors, it can take a few days to acclimatize, during which time their blood oxygen may be lower, adversely affecting their performance on the field.<\/p>\n

    If you\u2019re normally a sea-level dweller, it\u2019s worth checking your blood oxygen next time you take a trip to Denver, or any high-altitude location, to see how well you\u2019re acclimatizing. In the Health app<\/strong> on your iPhone, go to Browse > Respiratory > Blood Oxygen > Show All Data <\/strong>and tap on a reading. You\u2019ll notice it indicates the barometric pressure and whether the reading was taken at high altitude.<\/p>\n

    Higher altitudes and lower Blood Oxygen<\/h3>\n

    Mile High Stadium may be pretty high up, but some athletes climb much further. One intrepid Cult of Mac<\/em> reader and avid skier shared his blood oxygen readings from a recent trip to the French ski resort of Val Thorens<\/a>. Located in the Alps<\/a> at 7,500 feet, it\u2019s 2,220 feet higher than Denver. In his readings (below), you\u2019ll see his blood oxygen dipped far below the normal 95% to 100% and High Elevation Environment was indicated.<\/p>\n

    \"How
    How to check if low blood oxygen readings were taken in a High Altitude Environment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Some coaches and athletes believe in the benefits of high-altitude training<\/a>. The idea is that by acclimatizing to a higher altitude, athletes perform beyond their normal potential at lower altitudes<\/a>. This kind of training was made famous by Kenyan and Ethiopian Olympic athletes<\/a>.\u00a0There is some debate about the safety and effectiveness<\/a> of altitude training. So, unless you\u2019re an elite athlete looking to achieve every last drop of performance, altitude training is probably not for you.<\/p>\n

    Who is the Apple Watch Blood Oxygen app for?<\/h3>\n

    If the Blood Oxygen app ever gets FDA approval for medical use, it could become indispensable for people living with respiratory diseases, who need to monitor their blood oxygen saturation at home. Until then, it\u2019s really more of a novelty (unless you\u2019re planning on playing against the Denver Broncos next season).<\/p>\n

    That\u2019s why I\u2019m hoping Apple will hold off on adding more sensors<\/a>\u00a0until the technology can get medical approval and be useful to people who really need it, like a non-invasive blood glucose monitor<\/a> for people with diabetes.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The blood oxygen sensor featured in Apple Watch Series 6 and 7 is \u201cnot intended for medical use,\u201d Apple says. That seems odd, considering that low blood oxygen is a serious medical condition. If the watch’s monitor is not for medical use, then what exactly is it for? In this post, we\u2019ll look at what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22059,"featured_media":766260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31740],"tags":[19822,347254,3093,27518,52],"class_list":["post-766259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-apple-watch","tag-blood-oxygen-sensor","tag-fitness","tag-health-app","tag-top-stories"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to use Apple Watch blood oxygen sensor, and what it's good for | Cult of Mac<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The blood oxygen sensor featured in Apple Watch Series 6 and 7 is \u201cnot intended for medical use,\u201d Apple says. 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