What is oxygen saturation?
Blood oxygen saturation is a vital indicator that became popular domain in the Covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, it refers to the oxygen retention capacity of hemoglobin in the arteries, since this molecule is in charge of transporting oxygen from the heart to all the organs of the body.
Under ideal conditions, hemoglobin can become completely saturated with oxygen, that is, retain one hundred percent of its capacity. However, normal values are considered those that exceed 95%. The finding of values less than this amount can be due to the body’s own response to intense physical exercise, also due to the effects of altitude, or it can even mean a deterioration in health caused by different conditions, including a Covid-19 contagion.
Usually, blood oxygen saturation is measured with a simple over-the-counter portable device known as a pulse oximeter, which is based on light emissions. However, the advent and mass use of smart watches and bracelets for monitoring physical activities has gradually included in their hardware conformation a sensor capable of obtaining this type of health metrics from the wrist with a fair approximation. And depending on the software that controls them, offer continuous or on-demand measurements. However, its use should not replace devices approved by health professionals.
Wearables that measure oxygen saturation
Below, we show you a list of the most popular wearables with the ability to measure oxygen saturation in the blood.
Apple Watch series 6 and later, Fitbit Sense 2, Amazfit Bip U Pro, Amazfit GTR 2, Huawei Band 6, Huawei Watch Fit New, Garmin Venu Sq, Garmin vivoactive 4, Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 7, Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS, among many others.
Image by hawkHD from Pixabay