I am quite healthy physically but due to the wear and tear from my past living, I seem to have insufficient breathing capacity. Sometimes while talking, I have to use the last cubic inches of my breath to finish my sentences.
I started wondering could it be that my breathing is affecting the amount of fresh air brought into the lung? If there isn’t enough air brought in, the amount of oxygen delivered to the blood may be somewhat limited. Then, the amount of oxygen reaching my brain might be somewhat low, which could not only affect my brain functions now but also cause it to deteriorate faster. This could even explain why I am experiencing MCI in spite of my healthy lifestyle.
In the meantime I found out about oximeter from my friend who was looking after my aunt who was ill in the United States. Apparently it’s rather a common instrument to measure the oxygen level of blood. It sounded like an ideal instrument to see if what I suspect is really what is happening.
So, I decided to buy a pulse oximeter. It’s a cute little electronic device that clamps onto a fingertip to measure the pulse as well as the oxygen level of your blood. It looks quite straight forward and as soon as you put it on, it starts showing some readings. However actually, it’s not quite as straight forward as it looks. Maybe my fingers are not as straight forward as most other people’s. Initially the readings fluctuate all over the place. In some cases, it doesn’t even show my pulse, but I am still alive, so it must be the finicky device. But it’s not fair to blame the device too prematurely. After I leave the device on and let it settle down, eventually it starts showing pulse. Readings tend to gradually shift up or down, but eventually settle down to a number.
Now that I found out how the device works, I started taking measurements. Normal readings are supposed to be between 95 to 100%. My readings varied greatly, at times as low as 88% but mostly around 94%. Therefore, as I suspected, it looks as if my oxygen level is lower than it should be.
Also, while I was investigating pulse oximeters, I came across a very interesting article about what’s called Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training. It said you can train your breathing capacity by exercising using an inhaler like instrument. It also said it could not only help with COPD, asthma, high blood pressure but also brain function! Again, this sounded like just what I needed. So, I ordered one called POWERBreathe PLUS WELLNESS Model.
I have started exercising using this instrument. My intention is to do the exercise and monitor the oxygen level in my blood to see if it will bring the level up. Like all other exercises, it will take time to start showing any results, so it will be a while before I could report any progress. It will be very interesting to see what will happen.
Living With MCI 