Garmin Pulse Ox
 

Are any of you using the Pulse Ox functionality on your Garmin wearable device? Are you gaining any insight or is just another feature to quickly drain the battery?

Garmin originally put a pulse oxygen sensor in their watches for mountain climbers. A Fenix was the first to get this feature, it's marketed as the hiker's watch. Peak bagging is basically a continuum of hiking. People can be affected negatively even at low altitude.

There was a lot of interest in whether blood oxygen saturation could provide early warning for covid infections. The data says not really, it turns out that if your watch does respiration rate that gets you closer to a covid pre "diagnosis."

I'm not sure what other value the data might have?

Might be interesting to see if O2 levels are different just before you cramp up from exertion. But so far it's just another number to argue about and possibly keep us from focusing on the correct thing... can you climb that hill quicker or cross the finish line sooner than you did before.

It can't measure when you're on the bike.

Well there goes any interest for me.

Don't worry, I read it's just another number to argue about. I favor 7.

Interesting. Why not 42?

Can't tell if serious. 7 is obviously better. Anybody who doesn't prefer 7 eats babies!

​​​​​​For the record, and getting back to NoWhammies ' question. People who love cycling probably spend 22+ hours in an average day off their bikes. Whether this specific feature (PulseOx) is valuable is the question of this thread. But there's definitely value to cycling in things that happen off the bike, that's the idea behind a lot of the features in these watches.

To answer the question, I have this turned on even though I'm not convinced there's a lot of value in it. I'm a data guy and think that if there's any utility, having a good background measurement will enhance that. And the battery life is pretty incredible these days (F6x) so it's no biggie. 🙂 It agrees within 1% at the doctor's office for what it's worth.

This is measuring SpO2 or serum O2 isn't it? I've not looked to see what Garmin or any other is actually saying about for any devices they sell that have that feature. This thread was the first I'd heard of what I thought was a wrist worn sporting device.

I'm not sure that it'll show anything useful on a bike either. But who knows, it's something that does slightly peak my interest. But with only a SpO2 range of 95 to 100% saturation being generally considered healthy and anything 93% or less time for thinking about going on O2 or even a respirator I'm skeptical.

Even in my comment about muscle cramps and muscle fatigue I'm doubtful that it'll show anything. I think that is more how fast the muscles can rid themselves of CO2 localized around those specific muscle and not so much a function of the overall saturation levels of all the blood in our system.

I do think it's good for SpO2 to be monitored for overall health if it can be done reasonably. It might alert someone that the nagging cough and congestion in their lungs is a little more serious than just a common cold. I've got one of those pulse oxymeters that clip on a finger tip and it amuses me sometimes to see when it shows low SpO2 as opposed to when I think it should be low. Though that's rare. Usually I'm 98% or better.

The thing in @NoWhammies watch is exactly like the thing you put on your finger, except it's already on, and can take readings throughout the day and night as a result.

Thanks for the feedback @Seattle Forrest. According to DC Rainmaker having the PulseOx with the 745 really drains the battery. So for that reason I have it turned off. There is a setting on the watch to have PulseOx come during sleep, which I am thinking of doing. LIke you I am a numbers guy so I think I might find it interesting. At least for a couple of days anyway.

Sleep is probably when that data is most likely to be of use, and when it's best able to measure it. I have an unusual doctor arrangement, I showed her my data and she found it very interesting.

With my watch (so probably yours too) you can go into watch mode while an activity is recording, and you can take a manual Pulse Ox reading any time you like to in the widget. So if you're hiking in the Bugaboos, you can take a data point when you stop for pictures and lunch, still have data when it's relevant (because you're at altitude) without paying too much battery for it.

I did some Google searching about the whole Garmin PulseOx thing. Consensus seemed to be that if you are changing altitudes, then the PulseOx feature is of use. But if you're sticking to the same altitude a lot of the time, then the feature might not yield as much useful information. I am still thinking of turning it on for sleeping. If only because it is more information to play with.