Colombia
Blood oxygen at Bogota, Colombia
The Colombian capital, on a high plateau in the Andes. It is at 2,640 m (8,661 ft), where each breath delivers about 71% of the oxygen it does at sea level. Below are the air figures for that height and the SpO2 range a healthy visitor can expect. Add your own reading to see where it sits.
At 2,640 m / 8,661 ft
91% typical resting SpO2, usually 88 to 94%
For a healthy adult from low altitude, awake and at rest, in the first day or two. The same person at sea level typically reads 97%, usually 95 to 99%.
- Air pressure
- 734 hPa550 mmHg
- Oxygen reaching the lungs
- 105 mmHgvs 149 at sea level
- Oxygen per breath
- 71%of sea level
Elevation source: Wikipedia: Bogota
Check your own reading
The calculator is set to Bogota, Colombia. Type the SpO2 your oximeter shows, or change the elevation if you are staying higher or lower.
At 2,640 m / 8,661 ft
91% typical resting SpO2, usually 88 to 94%
For a healthy adult from low altitude, at rest, in the first day or two. Overnight readings commonly sit a few points lower still, and dip further during the periodic breathing that is common above about 2,500 m.
- Air pressure
- 734 hPa550 mmHg
- Oxygen reaching the lungs
- 105 mmHgvs 149 at sea level
- Oxygen per breath
- 71%of sea level
The nights are the part to watch
A daytime spot check misses the lowest oxygen of the trip, which almost always happens while you are asleep. Recording a night with a pulse oximeter shows whether your overnight oxygen is climbing back as you acclimatise, and our free viewer will read the file without an account.
What 2,640 m does to a reading
At this height readings in the low 90s and high 80s are common in the first days. Above about 2,500 m periodic breathing in sleep is common: a repeating cycle of deeper and shallower breaths that appears on an overnight recording as a regular wave in SpO2.
For comparison, an airliner cabin at cruise is limited to 8,000 ft (2,438 m), so the air here is thinner than an airliner cabin is designed to reach. The oxygen on a plane tool estimates the cabin altitude for your flight.
The first nights
If you reach Bogota, Colombia by road or air in a day, your first night is spent at the full 2,640 m with no time to adjust. That night usually gives the lowest readings of the stay. Breathing speeds up within hours, and resting SpO2 typically rises by a few points over the first week.
Tracking it across the trip
- Record a night at home before you leave, so you know your own starting figure.
- Record each night at Bogota, Colombia and open the file in the free session viewer. It shows the lowest SpO2 and how much of the night was under 90%.
- Put the first night next to a later one in compare nights to see whether your overnight oxygen is rising.
- A finger sensor can be off by a few points, more so with cold hands. The oximeter accuracy tool shows the range a reading could really be.
Blood oxygen at altitude covers what to expect night by night.
Common questions
- What SpO2 should I expect at Bogota, Colombia?
- A healthy adult arriving from low altitude typically reads about 91% at rest, usually between 88 and 94%, in the first day or two at 2,640 m. The same person typically reads about 97% at sea level.
- How much less oxygen is there at 2,640 m?
- Standard air pressure at 2,640 m is about 734 hPa, against 1,013 hPa at sea level. Each breath delivers about 71% of the oxygen it does at sea level. The share of oxygen in the air stays at about 21% at any height; it is the pressure that falls.
- Will my reading be lower at night at Bogota, Colombia?
- Usually, yes. Breathing slows in sleep, so overnight readings commonly sit a few points under a daytime reading at the same height. Above about 2,500 m periodic breathing adds repeated short dips on top of that.
- How long does it take to acclimatise?
- Breathing gets faster and deeper within hours. Resting SpO2 at a given height usually climbs by a few points across the first week, and red blood cell production rises over the following weeks.
- Does a low reading mean altitude sickness?
- No single number shows it. Altitude illness is judged on symptoms such as headache, nausea, dizziness and breathlessness at rest. If you feel unwell, stop going higher and get medical help, whatever the oximeter says.
Places at a similar height
Sources
- Elevation: Wikipedia: Bogota.
- Air pressure: International Standard Atmosphere (ICAO Doc 7488).
- Expected SpO2: the reference table behind the altitude oxygen calculator, which explains how the figures are worked out.
Log every night of the trip
An account keeps each night you record, at home and at altitude, so you can line the nights up and see how your overnight oxygen changes from one to the next.
- Every recording saved and searchable
- Compare any nights, any time
- ODI, T90 and CVHR trends over time
- Tag nights with what you changed
- See which habits line up with your numbers
- Describe a night in plain English
Your first 5 nights are free. No card needed.
Not a medical device. Does not diagnose, treat or prevent any condition. Discuss results and changes with a clinician.