What does the saturation monitor on the Apple Watch do?
What is a saturation monitor?
From the Series 6 and newer, you'll find a saturation monitor on your Apple Watch. With this sensor, the Apple Watch can measure the amount of oxygen in your blood. This is also called your oxygen saturation or SpO2. How much oxygen is in your blood is a reflection of your general health. The more oxygen, the healthier you are. Most people have an oxygen saturation between 95 and 100%. When you're asleep, your oxygen saturation can be lower than 95%. Are you short of breath? You'll probably see this in your SpO2 values.
How does the saturation monitor work?
There's an optical heart rate sensor with red and green LED lights at the back of the Apple Watch. During a saturation measurement, the red and green lights shine on your wrist along with an infrared light. This light partly penetrates your blood and partly gets reflected. The saturation monitor measures how much light gets reflected. Based on this, the watch knows how much oxygen is in your blood. The saturation app then turns this into a percentage, which is your oxygen saturation or SpO2 value.
How do saturation readings benefit you?
Your oxygen saturation is a reflection of your overall health. Is your oxygen saturation lower than 95%, you might have caught a virus or your immune system might be a bit weak. Stress also lowers your oxygen saturation. You usually notice when your SpO2 value drops below 95%. You get a bit groggy or feel stuffy.
How do you use the Saturation app on the Apple Watch?
-
Open the Saturation app on your Apple Watch.
-
Place your wrist on a table or in your lap and tap 'Start'.
-
Hold your wrist still for 15 seconds.
-
Once the reading is finished, you can read your oxygen saturation on the screen right away.
You can easily perform a saturation reading on the Apple Watch.
- Open the Saturation app on the Apple Watch.
- Make sure the Apple Watch fits your wrist seamlessly.
- Rest your wrist with the Apple Watch on a table or in your lap.
- Tap 'Start' and hold your wrist still for 15 seconds.
- After 15 seconds, your oxygen saturation will appear on screen. Your Apple Watch data will automatically be transferred to the Health app on your iPhone.
What's the difference between SpO2 and VO2 max?
In this article, we've only mentioned SpO2. This term often gets confused with VO2 max. We'll shortly explain the difference.
- SpO2 measures the oxygen level in your blood. The amount of oxygen in your blood is a reflection of your general health.
- VO2 max measures the maximum oxygen uptake of your entire body per minute. The amount your oxygen can take up is a reflection of your fitness.
