Oxygen therapy is a treatment that provides you with extra oxygen to breathe in it.
How do you know if you are hypoxic? Hypoxia is most often caused by an underlying illness that affects blood flow or breathing. When you don't have enough oxygen, you may feel like you can't breathe or think properly. Some obvious symptoms of oxygen deprivation contain: Restlessness. Headache. Confusion. Anxiety. Rapid heart rate (tachycardia). Rapid breathing (tachypnea). Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath (dyspnea).
Using oxygen therapy is a good option for treating hypoxia, and home oxygen therapy can help keep you on track if your doctor thinks your final outcome will allow for home oxygen therapy. The main ways to use home oxygen therapy are: A short tube placed in the nostril – also called nasal cannula. The mask over the nose and mouth, some people may need a tube inserted into an opening in the front of their neck (tracheotomy), or a tube placed in their mouth and moved down the trachea. There are 3 types of equipment that can be used to provide oxygen to you: Oxygen concentrator An oxygen concentrator is recommended if you need to have oxygen for most of the day (including when you're asleep).
Large oxygen cylinders Oxygen cylinders will probably be prescribed if you only need oxygen for a short time – for example, if you need to relieve sudden periods of breathlessness.
Portable oxygen cylinder It may be possible to use a small, portable oxygen cylinder outside your home. This is called portable oxygen or ambulatory oxygen.
