Altitude Adjustment

How To Avoid Feeling Low When In High Places.

If you enjoy skiing, climbing or mountain biking, chances are you'll spend some time at high altitude. But while dashing down the slopes or scaling new heights can be the ultimate experience in excitement, your body may react with less enthusiasm than your mind.

If you're a flatlander, you may find yourself gasping for air at 8,000 feet or higher - the higher you go, the less oxygen the atmosphere contains. In addition, a decrease in barometric pressure makes it more difficult for your body to absorb the oxygen that is available.

As a result, your body is less able to transport oxygen through the bloodstream and you may develop a condition called altitude or mountain sickness.

Symptoms can be mild - headache, nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite and shortness of breath. Or they can be quite serious, such as swelling in the lungs and brain, that can result in death if not properly and quickly treated.

Symptoms may not appear for hours or even days after you reach high altitude. However, if you're visiting a cold climate, exerting yourself and suffering dehydration from dry mountain air, altitude sickness can become serious quite rapidly. The decreased oxygen flow may compound the problem by affecting the brain, resulting in poor judgment and an improper decision to continue skiing, cycling or climbing.

Shortness of breath is often a preliminary symptom of altitude sickness, and 8,000 feet is high enough for it to develop. The most common symptom is headache. While you may not notice any symptoms at rest, this can change quickly when you begin even moderate exercise.

Recognizing and treating symptoms early is the key to preventing the more serious aspects of this problem. The faster you ascend, the less chance you give your body to adjust.

Given the complicated nature of altiitude sickness, how can you tell if you are susceptible?

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Foreword: Billie Jean King

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