Humans essentially need three things to stay alive: Food, Water, and Air. Actually, it’s not really air that we need. It’s oxygen. If you really think about it (and science will tell you this too), people can survive without food for more or less a week. They can survive 2 to 3 days without water. But without air, they can hardly survive through a single five-minute commercial.
Without a sufficient supply of oxygen, our cells will die out in minutes (check this out). This initiates a wild cascade of events. Low oxygenated blood leads to the disruption of normal body functions and eventually takes a toll on your organs and systems. Anyway, oxygen is a very important need for a human. This is why we should give it as much attention as we give blood sugar, blood pressure, CBC platelets, and such.
Ironically, it seems like humans are also doing their best to cut their main source of oxygen supply – plant life.
Where Do We Get Oxygen?
This is elementary science but I guess this is a good chance to refresh readers about the importance of nature. As you may already know, humans inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Oxygen is something that’s carried through the air and it’s something very vital for our bodily functions. Unfortunately, we cannot produce oxygen ourselves. We have to rely on the lungs of this planet to breathe: Plants.
Plants consume air in the exact opposite we do. They take in carbon dioxide (something they require to survive) and release oxygen. I guess you can say that animals and plants are truly made for each other. Sometimes, this makes you reflect on the fact that this world is so beautifully and carefully designed. Everything just fits together so perfectly – even without human intervention.
In fact, human intervention is the one thing that causes disruption in the ecosystem. Because of our selfish and egotistical ways, we keep tipping the balance of nature. We’ve been blessed with so much and yet somehow, we always find ways to ruin things. Our obliviousness to the things that are truly important in this life is getting in the way of our good judgement.
Instead of planting more plants and trees – the source of all hope and life – we cut and burn them down so that we can build even more buildings and bridges. Take the Amazon fire that made noise in the tabloids in recent weeks. Do you seriously think that a wildfire as big as that happened by mistake?
Anyway, if there is something that is going to end man, I’m betting it’ll be man as well. But we’re not here to talk about that.
Blood Oxygen Levels
Aside from the environmental dilemma brought onto this world by man, lowered oxygen levels in your blood is likely to be caused by a medical condition – which I highly suspect to be an aftermath of man’s crude ways as well. Heart and lung conditions are most usually the culprit behind hypoxemia – a condition in which the amount of oxygen in a person’s bloodstream is dangerously (or sometimes fatally) low.
Low oxygen levels are extremely dangerous. If left as it is, it can lead to major health implications like the shutting down of major organs in the body. In worst case scenarios, it may even prove to be fatal. This is why it is important that oxygen levels are monitored in the blood stream at all times. An early detection of oxygen decline can definitely save people’s lives.
This brings me to my point: Buying a personal pulse oximeter is a terrific idea.
What Is A Personal Pulse Oximeter?
Personal pulse oximeters are non-invasive devices used to read and monitor oxygen levels in the blood. It is a fast and painless method of measuring the amount of oxygen you have in your body. The best part is that we now have portable, easy-to-use versions of this device so you no longer need to go to a hospital to have your oxygen levels checked.
Keeping a personal pulse oximeter in your bag at all times or at least at home can save you from some serious trouble. You save yourself from the hassle of having to come by the doctor’s office personally and at the same time, make sure that you have nothing to worry about your body.
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