People are spending more and more time sitting than ever before. It has become commonplace for people to spend their entire day at their desk, working, and then they go home and sit some more while they unwind from the day.

However, humans aren’t meant to spend extended periods of time sitting. Originally, we were hunters and gatherers, constantly active in pursuit of survival. As a result, more and more people nowadays are suffering from back issues.

One way to keep your back healthy is by making sure your body is getting enough oxygen. If you find yourself sitting for long periods of time and are experiencing issues in your back, it might be worthwhile to invest in a chair designed for increased oxygenation.

All of your cells need oxygen, including the ones in your spine. This oxygen is transported through the body by red blood cells and used to burn energy.

This process is accomplished through tissue perfusion, a phenomenon that occurs when oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged within the body’s tissues. Without this process, the human body could not survive.

Your back is not exempt from this need for oxygen. When oxygen levels are low in your body, your back can feel stiff and painful. Read on to learn more about how your chair can increase your oxygenation levels!

What Is Oxygenation and Why Is It Important?

At the most basic level, oxygenation is when oxygen is added to a system. This can refer to eternal systems, like adding oxygen to the water of a river to better help fish survive, but in our case, it refers to something that’s happening inside your body. As we said, every part of your body needs oxygen to survive, and that oxygen is carried by your red blood cells, which circulate that oxygen through your bloodstream to your brain, heart, and every other important organ.

When your oxygenation levels are normal, you feel normal. Everything is functioning properly, breathing is easy, and you go about your day as usual. However, when your oxygenation levels are below normal, you’re at risk for some serious health concerns. Be on the lookout for symptoms like shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, wheezing, or the face turning red or blue. If you notice any of these, it’s best to seek medical help immediately.

In order to best support your oxygenation levels, there are certain steps that you can take. The type of chair you use can greatly impact your oxygenation levels, and an ergonomic chair that supports a healthy back is going to be a significantly better choice. Ergonomic chairs provide a variety of adjustable features to allow the most precise fit to your body possible. Studies have found that sitting upright with good posture generally leads to a much higher oxygenation saturation, especially when compared to lying down.

In addition to having a height-adjustable seat, an ergonomic chair should also have a height-adjustable backrest, headrest, and arms. A truly quality chair should also have width-adjustable arms so that you can ensure it’s truly fit for your body. Your chair should also be designed to fit the natural curvature in your spine and provide you with some lumbar support so that you can sit upright comfortably.

With the correct settings on your ergonomic chair, oxygen should be able to move freely throughout your body, allowing you to be flexible, mobile, and comfortable. When sitting, keep your back straight, and your chest positioned forward. However, make sure you are not tensing up your back in an effort to keep it straight. It’s okay to have a bit of a curve to your posture, as your spine has a natural curvature.

When sitting, you also want to make sure that your seat is not too high or too low. Your feet should be touching the floor comfortably without force. If your feet cannot reach the floor, use a footrest. Your legs should also be level with your hips.

Body position is a major factor in respiratory function for both healthy adults and those with respiratory issues, so with the correct posture and the right chair, you should be able to sit comfortably while also supporting better oxygenation.

Besides investing in a quality chair that promotes posture, one of the most important things you can do to improve oxygenation is stretch. Getting those muscles working will really help you deliver oxygen to every part of your body, especially your brain.

In addition to improving oxygenation, stretching also increases blood flow and delivers much-needed nutrients to our muscles. It removes metabolic waste from your muscles like carbon dioxide, ammonia, and uric acid. Stretching can even help with several different physical and mental conditions like diabetes and depression. Basically, stretching is a win-win.

Regular exercise acts much in the same way. When you work out and increase your heart rate, your breathing rate increases as well. This means that you should be absorbing more oxygen. Just be sure to ease into intense physical activity, especially if you’ve had problems with breathing or oxygenation in the past.

When you’re not sitting down in your chair, you can engage in some simple home exercises to help your oxygen levels. Some studies have shown that laying down in the prone position can increase cerebral oxygenation. The prone position is when you lay down on your stomach, with your back facing up.

All studies on this issue have been conducted on patients without intracranial pathology, so it is still uncertain how the prone position can affect other groups of people. However, it is hypothesized that since the sitting position decreases intracranial pressure, the prone position may improve cerebral oxygenation in patients with intracranial pathology.

• Spend more time outside—or at least open your windows. Fresh air can help you breathe easier and can therefore increase the amount of oxygen that your body is absorbing.
• Incorporate iron-rich foods into your diet. Iron is what helps your body make hemoglobin, a protein that’s key in helping red blood cells transport oxygen. Iron deficiency is common, especially among women, so consider speaking with your doctor about whether your iron levels are stable.

Practice mindfulness and breathing exercises. Certain breathing and meditation exercises can encourage deep breathing and help you increase the amount of oxygen present in your body.

It is imperative to keep your oxygen levels stable, as it is basically the root to our survival. Oxygenation is what keeps your mind working and your body moving, so if there are ways to support it, why not try? A quality chair, a bit of exercise, and some simple lifestyle changes can help you increase your blood oxygen levels so that you’re feeling your best, 100% of the time.

Looking for the perfect ergonomic chair? Look no further! Our BackStrong chair boasts the only seat in the world that allows for natural movement of the hips and back. It’s also adjustable so that you can get the perfect fit for you and ensure that your posture is the best that it can be.

It allows for maximum blood and oxygen flow, keeping your muscles relaxed and ready to work for hours. Our one-of-a-kind chair has even been co-signed by Shaquille O’Neal, Justin Bieber, and Paula Abdul.

Sources:

• Does Posture Really Affect Breathing and Lung Capacity? | Iowa Chiropractic
• Effects of the Prone and the Sitting Positions on the Brain Oxygenation in Posterior Fossa Surgery | Clinicaltrials.gov
• Why stretching is more important than you think | Wexner Medical
• New Treatment for Herniated Discs | Oxygen-Ozone Treatment | Spine Universe
• Could Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Help Heal Your Spine | Spine Universe
• Tissue Perfusion - an overview | Science Direct
• Intracranial Pathology - an overview | Science Direct
• Evaluation of oxygen saturation values in different body positions in healthy individuals | NIH