Garmin 245 disappointment - HR/ Pulse Ox (2023)

FAQs

How accurate is Garmin 245 spo2? ›

This is inaccurate, mine shows between 83% and 89% during sleeping and between 90 and 95% most of the time during awake.

The Forerunner^® device has a wrist-based pulse oximeter to gauge the saturation of oxygen in your blood.

The main finding of the present study was that the Garmin fênix® 5X Plus watch overestimated SpO2 at 12,000 ft of simulated altitude as compared to data generated on a medical-grade pulse oximeter, where a bias of 3.3% (95% LOA ranging from −1.9% to 8.6%) was shown.

Pulse oximeters are most accurate when blood oxygen saturation is between 90% and 100%. Accuracy decreases when blood oxygen saturation is between 80% and 90%, and the devices are least accurate when saturation is below 80%.

Garmin's VO2 Max status is pretty accurate. Some studies suggest it overestimates someone's VO2 Max (particularly in men than women) while other studies suggest the opposite is true. What is this? Almost all studies find that Garmin's VO2 Max estimate is within about 5 percent of your true VO2 Max value.

The study found that overall the Garmin Forerunner 245 was off by 5.7% when compared to laboratory measurements. The watch was more accurate in runners who had a VO2 max in the range of 44 – 55 ml/min/kg, with an error of only 4.1%. For runners below or above these values the discrepancy was higher.

The Forerunner^® device requires wrist-based heart rate or a compatible chest heart rate monitor to display your VO2 max. estimate. On the device, your VO2 max. estimate appears as a number, description, and position on the color gauge.

However, pulse oximeters can be inaccurate. Movement, poor blood flow and outside light interference decreases their accuracy. And because the technology relies on light absorption, differences in skin pigmentation affects it, too.

It's the same as with reading the heart rate - the watch should be strapped tightly to you wrist and you shouldn't be moving if you want accurate results. Yep, mine are low. Normally around 93-95 % , I used a finger based pulse ox the other day which read about 98% while the instinct was showing 94%.

While asleep, blood oxygen levels typically remain between 95 and 100 percent; however, if levels fall below 90 percent, hypoxemia occurs.

Is SpO2 the same as VO2 max? ›

Although both measurements involve oxygen, SpO2 and VO2 max differ. One involves the oxygen saturation in your blood, while the other shows how efficiently your body uses oxygen.

When All-Day Mode is enabled, the watch will sample your SpO2 levels every 5-15 minutes. If the watch detects a high level of movement (e.g. out for a run) it will read less often. When viewing Pulse Ox widget on the watch, you will see the average of readings for each hour.

Stress can affect all systems of the body — even leading to lower oxygen levels in the blood and body. If you sometimes feel short of breath when you're stressed or anxious, you are not alone. This is a common symptom of anxiety.

Healthy pulse oximeter values often range from 95% to 100%. Values under 90% are considered low. Often, hypoxemia treatment involves receiving extra oxygen. This treatment is called supplemental oxygen or oxygen therapy.

A normal oxygen saturation level ranges between 95 percent and 100 percent. Saturation levels may be somewhat lower and considered acceptable if you have a lung disease such as COPD or pneumonia.

You can train your Vo2 max most efficiently by working at a high intensity. Many running coaches recommend training at around 90 to 95 percent of your maximum heart rate. Working near your max heart rate helps strengthen the muscles in your heart and increase the volume of blood it can pump with each beat.

Running VO2 Max Estimates

Heart rate data from a built-in optical heart rate sensor or from a chest strap. Heart rate must be elevated to at least 70% of your maximum heart rate for at least 10 minutes continuously.

How can I make my Garmin Forerunner 245 more accurate? ›

Running Activity With GPS

Example: You record a Run activity with GPS, which generates a VO2 max estimate. This VO2 max estimate will display in Garmin Connect and will only update over the next 30 days if you record additional Run activities with GPS.

Ensure that you are not using UltraTrac GPS mode. Devices in UltraTrac mode will be unable to update VO2 max and Training Status. See your owner's manual for instructions on changing the GPS settings. Record all your fitness activities on your device.

Elite male runners have shown VO2 maxes of up to 85 mL/kg/min, and elite female runners have scored up to 77 mL/kg/min. A good VO2 max for a 25-year-old male is 42.5-46.4 mL/kg/min, while a good value for a 25-year-old female is 33.0-36.9 mL/kg/min.

Be aware that multiple factors can affect the accuracy of a pulse oximeter reading, such as poor circulation, skin pigmentation, skin thickness, skin temperature, current tobacco use, and use of fingernail polish.

Digital pulse oximetry is a rapid noninvasive test and is used to estimate arterial oxygen saturation. However, falsely low readings are common due to a range of causes including motion artifact, hypotension, nail polish, darker skin pigmentation, and venous pulsations.

Temperature is another, often overlooked, limiting factor for pulse oximetry. It is generally accepted that cold digits may provide inaccurate pulse oximeter readings [19, 20], and simple solutions like rubbing the hands together may solve the problem.

However, no fitness trackers are FDA cleared to diagnose sleep apnea, that goes for AppleWatch, FitBit, and Garmin.

The “SpO2” reading on a pulse oximeter shows the percentage of oxygen in someone's blood. If your home SpO2 reading is lower than 95%, call your health care provider.

Everyone's oxygen levels in the blood are lower during sleep, due to a mildly reduced level of breathing. Also, some alveoli drop out of use during sleep. If your waking oxygen saturation is greater than about 94 percent on room air, it is unlikely that your saturation during sleep will fall below 88 percent.

What if spo2 is 94 during sleep? ›

The blood carries oxygen to your brain, and if the percentage of oxygen in the blood is always above 94% during sleep, then your brain is getting the oxygen during sleep that it needs, and you will likely wake refreshed.

So how does sleep relate to your arteries? Well, sleep apnea is a major risk factor for CAD, likely because fragmented sleep can lead to low levels of oxygen in your body (hypoxia), contribute to inflammation, and lead to intrathoracic pressure swings (pressure fluctuations inside your heart).

Drops in blood oxygen level are called desaturations. Desaturations can occur due to illnesses (like lung disease) while you are awake, but they are even more likely to occur while you are asleep. Sleep apnea is the most common cause of oxygen desaturation during sleep.

The authors report 95% limits of agreement of -5.8% and +5.9%. In patients and conditions where the conventional pulse oximeter measured >90% spO₂, the Apple Watch measured on average 1% higher than the conventional device.

It's the same as with reading the heart rate - the watch should be strapped tightly to you wrist and you shouldn't be moving if you want accurate results. Yep, mine are low. Normally around 93-95 % , I used a finger based pulse ox the other day which read about 98% while the instinct was showing 94%.

When the percentage of oxygen saturation falls below 94%, that is called a desaturation. If the total number of desaturations divided by the total time is 5 or more desaturations per hour, then that is considered mild sleep apnea.

The Forerunner^® device requires wrist-based heart rate or a compatible chest heart rate monitor to display your VO2 max. estimate. On the device, your VO2 max. estimate appears as a number, description, and position on the color gauge.

If you are using an at-home oximeter, you should contact your health care provider if your oxygen saturation level is 92 percent or lower. If it falls to 88 percent or lower, seek immediate medical attention.

Recommendations for Health Care Providers. Be aware that multiple factors can affect the accuracy of a pulse oximeter reading, such as poor circulation, skin pigmentation, skin thickness, skin temperature, current tobacco use, and use of fingernail polish.

Blood oxygen levels are indicated as SpO2, which is the percent saturation of oxygen in the blood. 95%-100%: Normal oxygen levels in a pulse oximeter usually range from 95%-100%.

What is normal oxygen level on Garmin? ›

Normal oxygen levels are between 95 and 100 percent. A rating lower than 95 can indicate problems with your body's circulation, but your normal baseline might vary.

While asleep, blood oxygen levels typically remain between 95 and 100 percent; however, if levels fall below 90 percent, hypoxemia occurs.

Oxygen levels are considered abnormal when they drop below 90%. They are severely abnormal when below 80%. 1 People with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) typically have low oxygen levels because of the pauses in breathing the condition causes during sleep.

Brands. The most popular wearables used as a sleep apnea detection device include products from Garmin, Fitbit and Apple. The latest Forerunner and Vivoactive line of Garmin sports watches have features that allow them to monitor Sleep Apnea once the user applies a software update.