The presence of dense macrophyte canopies in shallow lakes locally generates thermal stratification and the build-up of labile organic matter, which in turn stimulate the biological oxygen demand. The occurrence of hypoxic conditions may, however, be buffered by strong wind episodes, which favor water mixing and reoxygenation. The present study aims at explicitly linking the wind action and water oxygenation within dense hydrophytes stands in shallow lakes. For this purpose, seasonal 24h-cycle campaigns were carried out for dissolved gases and inorganic compounds measurements in vegetated stands of an oligo-mesotrophic shallow lake. Furtherly, seasonal campaigns were carried out in an eutrophic shallow lake, at wind-sheltered and -exposed sites. Overall results showed that daily and seasonal patterns were not clearly ascribable to plant metabolism only: oxygen saturation was rather directly linked to the degree of wind exposure. The occurrence of frequent wind episodes allowed the near-bottom water mixing, and likely facilitated mechanical oxygen supply from the atmosphere or from the pelagic zone, even during the maximum standing crop of plants (i.e. summer and autumn). A simple model linking wind exposure (Keddy Index) and water oxygenation allowed us producing an output management map, which geographically identifies wind-sheltered sites as the most subjected to critical periods of hypoxia.