insylem

Hello,
I'm not sure where a good spot to post this is, so if there is abetter place then "General" please move.

Anyhow,
This week, i've been pretty good so far at rideing 30 minutes every day. This carries me about 5 - 6 miles. I seem to be sleeping better at night. When I go to bed I seem to be falling asleep faster. I'm wakeing up less tired.

So anyways,
On to my question
Today, just for curiousity, I wore a SPo2 moniter while I rode.
The results were a little scary. It seems that when I'm rideing my O2 numbers are in the 80s. Arround 85 - 88% SPo2. Is this normal? My Heartrate stayed in the safe zone. About 150 tops. I'm 5'6" weight 166 lbs at aprox 35 years of age. Due to the hills, down and up and down and up and stopping for traffic ect, my heart rate was not constant. It would go up and down as I worked and coasted and stoped and waited for a few cars and then went again. At one point my o2 level went to 81%. For the most part it was arround 85 - 88% though.

What are good bike rideing O2 levels? Are mine bad? I was not out of breath. I was breathing heavily and deeply, but nothing extreme for what I was doing. The hills seem less steep then a few months ago. When I get home I feel great! My legs are the good kind of sore! I do some pushups and stiups, and I go for a short walk to let my heartrate drop down.

I woud appricate your feedback please,
Thanks,
-Jonathan

Looigi

Assuming you're normal and healthy, the safe range for HR is anything other than zero.

Something is wrong somewhere. Saturation should be >95%. That might decrease a few percent during exercise.

Respiration rate and perceived need for air is driven by CO2 in the blood, not O2 saturation.

insylem

Thanks that's what I was wondering.
I wonder if my equipment was malfunctioning.
I try it tomarow maybe on a diffrent finger.

JanMM

Are consumer-grade oximetry devices truly accurate for vigorous athletic activity, like cycling?

insylem

I think it may have been reading in error. Im sure if my O2 levels were really dropping I would have felt some symptoms of it. I remember trying to run at an elevation of 8000' (Obviously in the mountans) and I couldn't make it far before I was way winded. I'm sure that I was getting my CO2 out no problem, so there has to be more to the resperation rate then just a CO2 buildup.

Doge

I want to start a thread on SpO2 - but I'll see if this one picks up.
I think SpO2 is under discussed. So anyone got values to share?

Me - at near my AT (age 53) moderate shape I'm about 83%
Son - at AT (age 16) very good shape is 93%

Doge

I think so. They are consistent and repeatable and we have several and they all pretty much say the same thing within 1%. I trust them more than a bathroom scale.

hillyman

Take your monitor and hit it with a hammer, then set it on fire, then dig a six feet hole and bury it. Get on your bike and ride as fast as you can to the nearest forest. And shake hands with a tree. Your soul will thank you!

nfmisso

83% at rest for 5 minutes or out on your bike?

If you are in the low to mid 80s after 5 minutes rest; you NEED to see a doctor NOW. If you are under 90% after 5 minutes rest; your doctor should be actively monitoring you; and you may require a C-PAP or Bi-PAP machine.

Been there done than, have the surgery scars. I am 54, heavy and at rest am in the low 90s. I commute 8 miles every morning by bike and 4 (bike+light rail) or 10 miles every evening.

Doge

97% at my desk. 83% is after/during hard AT like effort 10 miles into ride. I think that may be normal. I cannot PM - too new and need 50 posts.

caloso

It seems your tissues are getting all the oxygen they need. I think your device is off. But beyond that, is there some reason to monitor it?

Doge

Yes.
If using an hypoxia tent, it cc an be used to tune O2 level.

If at LT and high then cardio system can handle more muscle mass (guess).

Seems to me it is a great downstream test of O2 delivered to where the cells need them.

Caliper

I just let my body tell me. Out of breath, back off a bit and train more. Feeling stong, go harder. Unless one has some sort of medical condition/family history that would make this monitoring necessary, or is paid to ride and has a sports doctor/trainer analyzing the results, it seems like over analyzing things.