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Pulse Oximeter

The Lily® 2 Active watch has a wrist-based pulse oximeter to gauge the saturation of oxygen in your blood. Knowing your oxygen saturation can be valuable in understanding your overall health and help you determine how your body is adapting to altitude. Your watch gauges your blood oxygen level by shining light into the skin and checking how much light is absorbed. This is referred to as SpO2.

On the watch, your pulse oximeter readings appear as an SpO2 percentage. On your Garmin Connect™ account, you can view additional details about your pulse oximeter readings, including trends over multiple days (Turning On Pulse Oximeter Sleep Tracking). For more information on pulse oximeter accuracy, go to garmin.com/ataccuracy.

Getting Pulse Oximeter Readings

You can manually begin a pulse oximeter reading on your watch at any time. The accuracy of these readings can vary based on your blood flow, the watch placement on your wrist, and your stillness (Tips for Erratic Pulse Oximeter Data).

  1. Wear the watch above your wrist bone.

    The watch should be snug but comfortable.

  2. Swipe to view the pulse oximeter widget.
  3. Hold the arm wearing the watch at heart level while the watch reads your blood oxygen saturation.
  4. Keep still.

The watch displays your oxygen saturation as a percentage.

NOTE: You can turn on and view pulse oximeter sleep data in your Garmin Connect account (Turning On Pulse Oximeter Sleep Tracking).

Turning On Pulse Oximeter Sleep Tracking

Before you can use pulse oximeter sleep tracking, you must set your Lily 2 Active watch as your primary wearable in your Garmin Connect account (Unified Training Status).

You can set your watch to continuously measure your blood oxygen level, or SpO2, for up to 4 hours during your defined sleep window (Tips for Erratic Pulse Oximeter Data).

NOTE: Unusual sleep positions can cause abnormally low sleep-time SpO2 readings.
  1. Hold to view the menu.
  2. Select Settings > Watch Sensors > Sleep Pulse Ox.
  3. Select the toggle switch to turn on tracking.

Tips for Erratic Pulse Oximeter Data

If the pulse oximeter data is erratic or does not appear, you can try these tips.

  • Remain motionless while the watch reads your blood oxygen saturation.
  • Wear the watch above your wrist bone. The watch should be snug but comfortable.
  • Hold the arm wearing the watch at heart level while the watch reads your blood oxygen saturation.
  • Use a silicone or nylon band.
  • Clean and dry your arm before putting on the watch.
  • Avoid wearing sunscreen, lotion, and insect repellent under the watch.
  • Avoid scratching the optical sensor on the back of the watch.
  • Rinse the watch with fresh water after each workout.
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October 2024
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