Many people rely on oxygen each and every day. If your doctor has prescribed oxygen therapy for you, you’ve likely discovered just how much of a difference it can make – but there are some significant downsides. Relying on oxygen can limit your ability to go anywhere and even perform everyday tasks. It also leaves you stuck at home, feeling tethered to your full-size oxygen tank. But there is another option, one that’s convenient, portable, and no bigger than a purse or small backpack. A portable oxygen concentrator is a smaller, easier-to-carry version of a traditional oxygen tank. Search online to see what benefits a portable oxygen concentrator could offer you.

Using a portable oxygen concentrator frees you up so you can get the critical health therapy you need without sacrificing your everyday life. Designed to be carried anywhere, these compact devices allow you to use oxygen no matter where you are. Search online today to find portable oxygen concentrators that’ll make your life easier.

If you rely on oxygen every day, here’s how switching to a portable oxygen concentrator could make a difference for you.

You Can Treat Health Concerns More Easily

One of the biggest benefits a portable oxygen concentrator can offer is all-around better health. Taking oxygen therapy on the go with you ensures you’re always getting the right amount of oxygen you need.

Oxygen is typically prescribed for conditions like COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, and sleep apnea. It’s designed to prevent heart failure, particularly when you’re living with a severe lung disease. And using oxygen as prescribed can better everything from your sleep to your stamina, allowing you to more easily go about your daily life.

And portable oxygen concentrators can enable you to more easily utilize oxygen, making it more likely that you’ll reap the health benefits. You can increase your lifespan, especially if you have COPD or require continuous oxygen use. A portable oxygen concentrator can reduce COPD symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, and dizziness. You may even experience fewer COPD complications, like pulmonary hypertension, with regular portable oxygen concentrator use.

You’ll Enjoy More Mobility

In addition to reaping the health benefits of regular oxygen therapy, a portable oxygen concentrator also allows you more mobility.

You can forget about all the constraints of a traditional oxygen tank – and you don’t need to worry about running out of oxygen. The small, discreet tanks of portable oxygen concentrators are small and discreet. They can easily be carried right at your side while you visit the grocery store, run errands, and even see friends. Lightweight and unobtrusive, no one will even know you’re carrying your oxygen supply. You can maintain your independence and mobility; you can even exercise.

Travel is even possible with a portable oxygen concentrator. The FAA allows portable oxygen concentrators onto planes as long as they meet FAA requirements and standards. This means you can take your oxygen just about anywhere.

Many Areas of Your Life Will Improve

With a portable oxygen concentrator, you’ll notice improvements in many aspects of your life. While lung diseases and breathing difficulties can dramatically limit your abilities, using a portable oxygen concentrator can restore your freedom.

Going without a convenient source of oxygen can negatively affect your sleep and your mood. However, a portable oxygen concentrator can improve both of these. It can also improve your mental alertness and stamina, allowing you to be more in charge of your life. You’ll feel better, which in turn will enable you to do so much more than you could with a heavy oxygen tank or limited oxygen supply.

You may even be able to exercise or tolerate more activity. Research has shown that using oxygen while you exercise can improve endurance and performance while decreasing breathlessness.

You Don’t Have to Spend a Lot to Enjoy These Benefits

If you’re concerned about the cost of switching to a portable oxygen concentrator, you don’t need to be. While portable oxygen concentrators can cost anywhere from $1,199 to $3,148 to own, you don’t necessarily need to pay that high cost yourself.

You may be able to have the cost of a portable oxygen concentrator covered by your health insurance plan. Check with your insurance company to see if they will cover any of the cost; a doctor’s prescription will likely be required.

Additionally, if you’re on Medicare and meet certain criteria, you may be able to have Medicare pay for some of the cost of a portable oxygen concentrator. Typically, Medicare will cover as much as 80 percent of the cost if your:

• Doctor diagnoses you with a severe lung disease or a lack of oxygen.
• Arterial blood gas levels fall within a certain range.
• Health will improve with the use of oxygen therapy.
• Other treatments haven’t worked.

Make sure to check all of Medicare’s requirements to ensure you’re eligible before purchasing a portable oxygen concentrator out of pocket.

Before buying a portable oxygen concentrator, take the time to do your research. Search online to see what kinds of portable oxygen options are available, and research their costs. Compare all of their benefits, and see if you can find lower-priced options or potential savings. And don’t forget to see if your insurance can offer any financial assistance.