8 Warning Signs that you have low oxygen levels in your blood. When you breathe in through your lungs, you take in oxygen from the air in order to keep you alive. Oxygen is passed into your red blood cells (erythrocytes), so that it can be circulated through your body to your internal organs, tissues, muscles and cells. Oxygen is important as it helps all of your cells to make energy (ATP). Unfortunately many people suffer with low blood oxygen levels which can cause damage to the cells in your heart, liver and brain over time.
But what causes low blood oxygen levels in the first place? Lung Disease Well it can be caused by a chronic lung disease like asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, COPD or Pneumonia. Smoking Smoking cigarettes can lock up your haemoglobin, which lowers the oxygen storage capacity in your blood.
Cortisol High levels of the stress hormone called cortisol or anxiety cause you to hyperventilate, in a panic attack and you lose the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood. Sleep Apnea & Snoring Also Snoring and sleep apnea can reduce oxygen levels Sugar (pH 7.
45 UP) Along with eating too much sugar which the blood more acid, which reduces oxygen levels. Low Vitamin E, B1, D, C, Iron, Zinc, and B12 / Anemia Along with a deficiency in certain nutrients, which could cause anaemic or low antioxidant levels. If left untreated low levels of oxygen in your blood can lead to hypoxia and some major damage to your internal organs. In this video we will exploring 8 warning signs and symptoms that you have low levels of oxygen in your blood. Just a quick reminder this video is for educational purposes only, so do speak to your doctor if you have any medical concerns.
1. Air Hunger (Dyspnea) If there isn’t enough oxygen in your blood, your body will crave more air, making you feel short of breath often. This can feel like a tightness in the chest, and you will sigh frequently through the day with small puffs of air as you breathe out.
This is caused when the blood has become too acidic, which stops oxygen moving freely through your body. 2.
Dizziness & Weakness (Asthenia) If you stand up or perform some light activity such as walking and find that you are feeling dizzy or weak then you may have low oxygen levels in your blood. You may feel off balanced, and notice your vision blacking out for a moment or two, especially around the periphery. This means that oxygen isn’t reaching your muscles properly, causing weakness. 3. Fast Heart Beat (Tachycardia) An average healthy person has a heart rate of between 60-100 beats per minute.
You can count these easily using two fingers on the inside of the wrist and counting. If your heart rate is higher than this whilst you are resting, or perhaps you hear your heart beat when laying down in bed, this could indicate you have low levels of oxygen in your blood, So your heart is working harder to pump additional blood through the body. 4. Muscle Cramps & Chest Pain (Angina) This leads me on to number 4 If you suffer with chest pain, muscles cramps of angina, this can also indicate that you are low in blood O2, and you need to consume more electrolyte minerals, Vitamin E and B-vitamin rich foods to help oxygenate your blood.
But we will talk more about how to boost your oxygen levels later in the video If you’re finding this information helpful please hit the like button, subscribe and turn all notifications to stay updated with my latest health and nutrition tips.
5. Heavy Legs If you climb stairs or walk up a slight hill and notice you become out of breath easily, then you are likely lacking oxygen in your blood. Your thighs and calves may feel very heavy, because not enough oxygen is reaching the muscles, or you have a weaker heart due to poor fitness. Vitamin C or E deficiencies usually cause this particular problem. 6.
Brittle Nail/Ridges/Pale (Onychoschizia) Take a look at your fingernails, if they are pink and smooth with some very fine vertical lines this is a good sign that you are healthy.
However, if your nail is very pale with a pinker strip of colour across the top, this could indicate anaemia where there isn’t enough hemoglobin in your blood, so less oxygen is being transported to your nail bed. Likewise if your nails are very brittle, break easily or the vertical lines have become deep ridges this is also a sign of anaemia and nerve damage to the nail bed caused by low oxygen levels. 7. Blue Tinge To Skin (Cyanosis) In some cases, you may develop a bluish colour or tinge on your skin or your lips.
This condition is called cyanosis and happens when not enough oxygen is reaching the tissues. This can develop very suddenly and is usually accompanied by shortness of breath. Please seek medical help immediately in this situation. 8. Confusion (Delirium) If there isn’t enough oxygen reaching your brain you will often feel confused, lethargic, tired and irritated.
This is often caused by a deficiency in Vitamin B1 (thiamine), which is causing damage to the nerves and neurons in your brain, often triggered by eating too much sugar or refined carbohydrates. If you experience some of these symptoms visit for your doctor for a quick check-up. They will use an oximeter to check your blood oxygen levels. A normal reading is around 95-100% but if it’s below this, especially below 92 then there is an underlying problem.
If you wish you can purchase your own pulse oximeter to use at home which is just a simple little clip that goes over your finger and is relatively inexpensive.
I’ll drop a link to one below the video. How To Boost Blood Oxygen Levels Now let’s take a look at 6 simple lifestyle tips that you can use to boost up your oxygen levels. 1. Eat foods rich in heme-iron – this is the type of iron that’s bound to animal proteins in oily fish, shellfish, and high quality grass fed beef and liver. These foods also naturally contain Vitamin B12 which works with the iron to increase your red blood cells, so that more oxygen can be stored and carried through the blood.
2. Cut back on refined carbohydrates such as sugar, soda, and refined grains like flour, bread, wheat, pasta, pancakes, biscuits etc… These deplete your antioxidants and can acidify your blood causing low oxygen levels. 3. Eat foods naturally rich in Vitamin E to improve the function of the heart and boost oxygen levels such as sunflower seeds, avocados, extra virgin olive oil, hazelnuts, Swiss chard and all the leafy green vegetables. If you wish you can also take a powerful supplemental form of Vitamin E called tocotrienols.
4. Take long walks, with a slow pace in areas where there are lots of trees and plant life. Aim for at least 30 minutes per day. Gentle exercise, fresh air and essential oils released from trees help to boost circulation and oxygenate your blood. 5.
Eat low glycaemic berries daily that are high in antioxidants and resveratrol to boost oxygen such as blueberries, strawberries, gooseberries and acai berries. You should also aim to drink at least 1 litre of mineral water each day to hydrate your body and thin your blood to help the exchange of oxygen around your body.
I recommend mashing 3 tablespoons of berries in the morning, adding 1/4 teaspoon of Celtic/Himalayan salt and add 16oz carbonated mineral water to make a delicious and healthy drink, to improve your blood oxygen and boost your electrolytes. 6. Lastly you can perform abdo-diaphragmatic breathing.
Place one hand on your belly, and one hand on your chest. Practise breathing very deeply and slowly to a count of 4 breathing into your belly keeping your chest still. And then breathing out slowly to a count of 6. This helps to improve the distribution of air into your lungs and it also calms down the stress hormone called cortisol to trigger peace and relaxation. Try out these techniques and see which works best for you.
Some people however need to take some stronger vitamins to improve their oxygen levels. To learn more about vitamins to boost oxygenation for the blood go ahead and tap on this video on the screen now. Thank you so much for watching my video today, and as always I wish you great health, wealth and happiness..
