Is 90-93 low oxegen?

Is 90-93 oxegen level considered low? Would it make me feel tired?

I know for a fact my oxegen was hovering around 93 during one dr visit because I saw it on the thing on my finger. Felt very tired that day.

Another doctor visit my oxegen was 90 or 91 (don't remember) again from the thing on the finger, again I was very tired that day.

Just curious if those are low numbers and can make me tired.

During my original sleep test it went down to 83, and nadir was 83 (I think...don't have the results with me).

90-93 would be considered normal.

the snapshot number is not a good indicator because o2 goes up and down with activity. i can sit and relax and get mine to 91 but then walk across the room and be 98. it also has alot to do with your overall physical condition and the health of your lungs. you may want to invest in a cheap o2 recorder or ask your doctor to order an o2 test so you can see what it does during the day, all day under different conditions and at night too. o2 does not always rise to acceptable levels just because we have cpap.

What is normal range?

My doc didn't seem concerned about it, so I guess it is ok....but still is that a normal range for a person that is healthy and doesn't have sleep apnea??

Generally during sleep they are looking for readings below 88% and drops of 4% or greater during apneas.

Awake it is generally 95-98%. I read that people with lung issues have a 'normal' range of 92-95%. It can vary depending on a range of things such as age, activity, altitude, etc.

jjlady wrote:Is 90-93 oxegen level considered low? Would it make me feel tired?

I know for a fact my oxegen was hovering around 93 during one dr visit because I saw it on the thing on my finger. Felt very tired that day.

Another doctor visit my oxegen was 90 or 91 (don't remember) again from the thing on the finger, again I was very tired that day.

Just curious if those are low numbers and can make me tired.

During my original sleep test it went down to 83, and nadir was 83 (I think...don't have the results with me).

Hi jjlady,

I remember that when I was first diagnosed (my SpO2 nadir was 55%) I often felt tired during the day and learned that willfully breathing a bit more helped with this.

Now I use a pulse oximeter to help me find the optimal breathing level. Keeping exertion constant I work to find the breathing level (think over all volume) which produces the lowest heart rate. The oximetry number becomes useful in this since the number will be pretty much the same every day. When I started out 96% if at my desk and 97% doing moderate exercise was where the lowest heart rates would be found. Now I am in better shape and live at a higher altitude and find the best rates at 95% and 96% respectively.

I would guess that Obstructive Sleep Apnea has changed your breathing reflexes so that now you breath a bit less than you should - and have a bit too much CO2 in your system. The "line" for concern about O2 is 88%. The extra CO2 would make you feel tired and act a bit dopy - kind of like moderately anebreated. It is a sad story but in the church I was going to while being diagnosed and starting treatment I volunteered in the kitchen. People talk with you are homeless - oh my. Well, I guess I acted "like I was drunk" because one of the ladies got close to me and was obiviously sniffing for evidence. Funny and sad at the same time.

The breathing reflexes did get a lot better after I used CPAP for a month or so. I think aerobic exercise is also a good way to help with this.

May we find good health!

Todzo

Breathe in thru your nose, then breathe out thru pursed lips taking twice as long to exhale as you did to inhale.

That's the easiest way to reduce or eliminate excess C02. PLB (pursed lip breathing) is taught to those w/COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) to eliminate excessive C02 as they tend to retain CO2.

Breathe in thru your nose, then breathe out thru pursed lips taking twice as long to exhale as you did to inhale.

That's the easiest way to reduce or eliminate excess C02. PLB (pursed lip breathing) is taught to those w/COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) to eliminate excessive C02 as they tend to retain CO2.

Interesting. I have asthma, and I can usually go months without an actual asthma attack by avoiding triggers. But there are times when my breathing is more difficult, and I learned on my own that it helped to exhale with through pursed lips. I never knew why. I didn't even know there was a name for it.

Sleep apnea will have almost no effect on your waking O2 level. You could have near-death O2 levels from sleep apnea while asleep, but by the time you wake up and put on an O2 pulseox meter and get a reading, your O2 levels will be back to normal.

Only a recording pulseox used during sleep tells you anything useful about apnea and CPAP.