Fitbit introduces new blood oxygen monitoring feature on its wearables

Fitbit has activated the blood oxygen monitoring or SpO2 feature on its wearables. The wearable models that include the feature are the Versa smart watch, Iconic, as well as Charge 3. Apparently the user doesn’t need a Premium Fitbit account to access the feature.

Though Fitbit included the SpO2 hardware in its wearables, it is only recently that the company seems to have activated it.

SpO2 essentially helps in detecting breathing issues such as asthma as well as sleep apnoea and heart disease by measuring big variations in blood oxygen saturation.

SpO2 oxygen monitoring measures oxygen levels in the blood and alerts the user in case of any abnormalities, which might help detect serious diseases such as sleep apnoea, asthma, or even heart issues. A normal blood oxygen level reading is typically between 95 per cent to 100 per cent.

Fitbit wearables use a light-based optical SpO2 sensor or pulse oximeter that can measure blood oxygen levels at night when the user is sleeping. These rely on red and infrared light, which is typically at the back of the device, to measure the blood oxygen levels.

Blood oxygen monitoring can be particularly useful for people suffering from serious sleeping disorders such as sleep apnoea, in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. In such cases, the wearable can alert the user if big variations are recorded. The SpO2 data can prove to be useful for people suffering from asthma, heart diseases, etc.