In the current situation, the skyrocketing numbers of corona cases are overwhelming the hospitals facing a huge shortage of life saving gas- Oxygen. Supply of oxygen is extremely low but hundred thousands of people are resulting positive with Covid every day. The complete health system is in chaos, as thousands of patients are daily losing their lives because of lack of oxygen supply.
Oxygen is a necessary gas to treat various health related disorders but mainly when the disease affects your lungs, like in the case of Covid. The coronavirus mainly affects the lungs and makes the patient short of breath. The tell-tale symptoms of covid may fill the lungs with fluid and lead to pneumonia.
The main reason beyond the shortage of oxygen is its supply. Most of the oxygen manufacturing industries are located in eastern parts of India and it is thousand miles far from Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and various other major cities of India. So in this critical situation, what can the patients do to increase oxygen level in their blood? Don’t worry, we will let you know some effective breathing techniques which will increase the levels of oxygen in the blood and by which you can survive even in the shortage of oxygen.
Breathing Techniques for Increasing Oxygen
- Prone Position
Lying into Prone position is very beneficial in improving oxygenation and decreasing oxygen requirements. This technique also lowers the mortality rate in patients suffering from respiratory diseases including covid, tuberculosis, etc. In this pandemic situation, where oxygen supply is decreasing but the corona patients are increasing, you can practice this technique of breathing to achieve longevity.
Technique to do Prone Position:
To practice prone position, the patient has to lie down on the bed with his face-down along with head in a neutral position. Prevent any extension, flexion or rotation in the body. Now try to take a deep breath and this will improve the oxygen level in your blood.
- Diaphragmatic Breathing
You must try this breathing technique also as it is a right way to breathe but not known to most of the population. It is nothing but to breathe deep into the diaphragm. A wise breath will insert the air into the lungs and push the diaphragm down which further expands the belly. That’s why this type of breathing is also known as belly breathing.
Technique to do Diaphragmatic Breathing:
- Sit in a straight and relaxed position with placing one hand on the stomach and second one on the chest.
- Breathe in the air steadily and deeply through the nostrils.
- Feel the stomach expanding with each breath of diaphragmatic breathing.
- Breathe out the air through your mouth.
- Repeat this process for up to 10 minutes.
- Buteyko Nose Breathing
This technique of breathing was invented by Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko (a Ukranian scientist) in the year 1950. This breathing technique is mainly developed to cope up with asthma attacks, and other respiratory related ailments. This technique is very effective and natural to meet the normal levels of oxygen in the blood. Millions of patients have successfully recovered from hypertension, sleep apnea, asthma and other oxygen reducing ailments.
Technique to do Buteyko Nose Breathing:
- Sit up straight and relaxed in a comfortable and silent place.
- Inhale the air slowly through the nostrils by keeping the mouth closed.
- Exhale the air slowly via nostrils, steadily expelling the air through the lungs until you observe yourself compelled to inhale.
- Repeat these steps three to five times.
How to Determine Oxygen Level in the Blood?
To measure the oxygen levels in the blood, one should use Pulse Oximeter. It is a medical device which is clipped to the patient’s finger or earlobe to check how much oxygen is concentrated in the blood.
The logic behind the working of Pulse oximeter is the measurement of absorbed light by the blood. The sensor present in this device detects the absorbance of light and shows how much oxygen is present in the blood. This device shows two lights- Red light and infrared light.
If your blood contains more oxygen, then it will absorb more infrared light and allow more red lights to pass from it. But if the blood has low oxygen, it will absorb more red lights and allow infrared light to pass from it. These readings can be seen on the readometer attached on the oximeter.
Normal range of oxygen– For a healthy person, the normal oxygen levels would be shown as 95-100%. The reading below the 90% seeks an immediate medical treatment.
Conclusion
Shortage of oxygen cylinders is a temporary condition and it will be corrected soon. Till then, maintain your normal oxygen levels by following above given breathing techniques. All these techniques are really effective to prevent the deficiency of oxygen in your blood.
