High Altitude Sickness Prevention
posted by: Dennis
If mountain climbing can give you such a pleasurable and enjoying experience, it can also pose you to risks such as high altitude sickness. The condition is also oftentimes dubbed as mountain sickness, and this happens if you stay in a high altitude area of atleast 8, 000 – 12,000 feet.
Apparently, the lack of oxygen when you start to climb causes the problem especially that as you climb higher, the air becomes thinner and colder. This can then lead to hypoxia which is generally a serious case. Going too high fast and not giving your body enough time to adapt to the changing environment is also another lead cause why altitude sickness happens.
Symptoms of Altitude Sickness
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Nausea
- Shortness of breath
- Swelling of the extremities
- Mental confusion
This can be a very alarming case, thus it is important that you know some basic information regarding high altitude sickness prevention. Find out as we give you the answers below.
Preventing High Altitude Sickness
Primarily, the first thing you can do on how to avoid this is to never fly or climb great heights at all. But if you must, then follow the tips suggested below:
- Acclimatization is the term referred to your body’s way of adjusting to the change of the environment. Therefore, keep in mind to acclimatize. Do not ascend too rapidly since it makes you experience this. Remember, the key is to allow yourself to get used to the height.
- Once any of the abovementioned symptoms is felt, do not go any higher. Wait until the symptoms eventually subside.
- Keep yourself hydrated. Since fluid loss can also be a culprit for its occurrence, you have to increase your fluid intake particularly water.
- Do not take alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs such as depressants which can generally lower your breathing and pose you to the risks of the sickness.
- Your diet should consist of high caloric food and high in carbohydrates as well like pasta.
- Medications on how to go about treating and helping the issue include Acetazolamide and Dexamethasone which can be taken to prevent the symptoms of sickness while ascending.
When worse comes to worst, and the symptoms just become unbearable, make sure that you descend quickly and seek the nearest help from a medical facility to further achieve recovery from the problem.
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