I am a 23 year old male. why is my sp02 95% ??

[xstalkrx]

I am 6'1 185 pounds and I've worked out by lifting weights and running for many many years.

3 years ago I did smoke 1 pack of cigs per WEEK for 1 year. There were a few random nights where I would smoke a whole pack of cigs in just one night while drinking.

Anyways, I'm not sure why, all things considered, my sp02 is consistently only 95%.  I work on an ambulance and have used a couple different monitors that we have available and use on our patients.  Mainly always 95% and sometimes 96%.

[ed34]

I was recently told by a doctor that this is only a rough guide as it estimates the amount of o2 in your blood and usually from the tip of your finger. On a cold day this level is going to drop anyway, especially if you take the reading in the back of a chilly ambulance. When we are cold, the body alters the flow of blood in a way to keep major organs warm. This is why our hands and feet get so cold. The best test is a blood gas which has something to do with the pressure in the 02 in the blood. I have seen patients with 92% 02 with a finger sensor, but being put onto ventilators because their blood gas is so low. I've seen people hallucinating on 90% using a sensor because the brain is seriously short of oxygen due to a bad blood gas reading. It shocked me and I wondered why the finger sensor is used at all.