![]() Read our guide to choosing the best Fitbit for your needs. What's more, the company has launched a Fitbit Versa SpO2 watch face, which puts the information front-and-center. As part of the Fitbit COVID-19 study, a change of breathing rate was shown to pre-empt symptoms, so it can be a useful metric to track. Breathing rate is a new metric for Fitbit Premium subscribers, which offers extra data. You get the Estimated Oxygen Variation graph which shows your blood ox throughout sleep, using a traffic light system to show any (possibly) apneic events.Īnd now things go further too. Unlike other brands the focus of the SpO2 isn't on spot checks, and is used to enrich sleep data if you subscribe to Fitbit Premium. The sensor isn't available on the Apple Watch SE, however, so you need the flagship Apple Watch to track it.įitbit has been doing SpO2 for a while and it's available on all Fitbit Versa smartwatches, as well as Charge 5 and the Fitbit Sense health watch. This means it can be used as an early warning system of sleep apnea, and something you can use to start a conversation with your doctor. However, if you wear the Series 6/7 to bed then it will take spot readings while you sleep. You can use the Blood Oxygen app to take a 15 second SpO2 test, which is logged in the Apple Health app. ![]() SpO2 was finally introduced on the Apple Watch Series 6, which can now take spot readings and analyse blood oxygen during sleep. But things have changed since then, and now the process of taking those measurements happen much more easily from the wrist. Pulse oximeters are starting to find their way into some big name wearables and that data is being used in very different ways.Īrguably it started with the Withings Pulse Ox fitness tracker, which measured blood oxygen levels when you placed your finger on the sensor on the back of the device. Pulse oximeter and wearables you can buy right now Hewlett Packard was the first company to make an ear oximeter, which was largely used inside of clinical sleep labs due to its hulking size.īut it was Japanese bioengineer Takuo Aoyagi, in the early 1970s, who first developed a noninvasive way of using the light transmitted through the ear and went on to develop a pulse oximeter.įrom then up until today, the size of the tech has become smaller and – crucially – cheaper to build, so more people were able to get their hands on it. It wasn't until the 1960s and 70s when we began to see the pulse oximeter devices shape into the ones that are now used in hospitals, and which can be purchased to carry out those measurements from your home. The first oxygen saturation meter is said to be from as far back as the 1930s, when the exploration of light transmission through skin and the information it could provide really began. It can also be a valuable piece of health data for people suffering from a range of conditions including asthma, pneumonia, heart failure and lung cancer. ![]() ![]() It's estimated that 22 million Americans suffer with sleep apnea, but the majority aren't even aware they have the disorder. And that's where many health watches and wearables can come in useful. It's a disorder which if left untreated or undetected could lead to an increase in the risk of high blood pressure, obesity and can even cause a heart attack. However, it's sleep apnea that really makes SpO2 a worthwhile sensor. It can be used to check whether someone needs assistance with their breathing via a ventilator, measure a person's ability to handle intensive physical activities, and it can also check whether you're experiencing breathing issues when sleeping.ĬOVID-19 has put the focus on blood oxygen on the map, but actually, there are many less extreme reasons to keep an eye on blood oxygen levels.Īthletes or people spending time at altitude will want to monitor blood oxygen levels. John Hopkins Medicine explains how measuring oxygen levels through pulse oximetry can offer insights into a range of health related issues. If you see a score of 92% or less, then it could be time to further investigate, and find out whether it's related to an as yet undetected health issue. The Fitbit Estimated Oxygen Variation scoreĪn oxygen saturation percentage greater than 95% is considered to be a normal reading.
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