How to increase blood oxygen levels on your own. This will help to get rid of fatigue

Clinical geneticist, nutritionist, expert of UniProf Academy of Physicians

When is it necessary to increase the level of oxygen in the blood and how to do it yourself?

Why oxygen levels may be decreasing

Do you feel chronically tired? Can’t get a good night’s sleep? Do you have a feeling of incomplete breathing? One of the reasons for feeling this way may be a lack of oxygen in the blood.

Almost half of the cells that make up the body are constantly being formed, another quarter are fully functional, and the last quarter are dying or being replaced. If they are not developing or multiplying properly, the body will begin to get sick and age prematurely.

The body has a great regenerative capacity: about 300,000 million cells are renewed every day, the main thing is that they have enough nutritional resources to do so. These include vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates or fats, but the most important and essential nutrient is oxygen.

When the body has adequate levels of oxygen, it works better and the immune system fights bacterial, viral, parasitic, fungal invasions effectively.

When there is a lack of oxygen, cells use their own protoplasm to get it or convert their own sugars and this changes their metabolism. In oxygen-deprived conditions, cells weaken, mutate, or die, creating toxic substances that make their way into the bloodstream.

• genetically modified foods;
• pesticides, heavy metals, and some other substances;
• plastic packaging;
• cosmetics with certain substances (bisphenols, phthalates and some others).

One of the striking factors of oxygen deficiency in the body is a lack of assimilated iron (anemia). It is needed to produce the proteins hemoglobin and myoglobin, found in red blood cells, which help the body transport oxygen.

Dehydrated fruits, red meat, liver, eggs, whole grain products and dried beans can help increase iron in the blood. It is important to combine these foods with vitamin C (fresh leafy greens, parsley, dill, Brussels, white or cauliflower cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, apples, pineapples, citrus fruits, etc.) – they promote better iron absorption.

Breathing practices

Such as “pranoyama”, Buteyko breathing and others, light aerobic exercise (oxygen as the main source of energy) – all this will increase the level of oxygen intake into the blood.

It would seem that do all of the above, get enough iron with food, walk and drink enough water – and the body will not starve from lack of oxygen. But there’s a flip side to the coin.

Why elevated oxygen levels are bad too

It’s important to remember that a lot of oxygen is a lot of oxidation. Especially when you’ve abruptly started changing your habits. Yes, you need to increase the amount of oxygen that reaches your cells to keep you healthy. But in doing so, there is collateral damage in the form of excess oxidation.

In order for the body to utilize oxygen, the lungs “break” the oxygen molecule by stripping it of one electron. It becomes a “free radical” that needs to regain an electron to stabilize itself – it is taken from neighboring molecules. So more and more free radicals are created. And they have negative effects on health, including accelerating aging.

Hemoglobin captures some of these radicals. The remaining ones “attack” bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi, but at the same time they can try to steal an electron and attack the body’s cells and cause mutations. About 10,000 potentially pathogenic cells are generated this way every day.

The good news is that the body has internal antioxidants – molecules that can deactivate free radicals. Some of these are synthesized by the body itself. We can also provide it with antioxidants from the outside. For example, these include vitamins A, C and E. Omega-3 fatty acids are not usually classified as antioxidants, but are just as helpful in reducing free radicals.

Certain habits, too, can help improve cellular respiration and reduce oxidation levels in the body. For example, low-intensity exercise (brisk walking for 30 minutes) and foods rich in vitamins C and E.

It’s important to take care of getting enough oxygen from the outside, providing the body with the resources and nutrients it needs. But it is also worth being mindful of free radicals and saturating the body gradually, keeping a balance.