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A Visitor’s Guide to Altitude Adjustment
By Eleanor Rindal RN & Dawn Marino RN
Our beautiful White
Mountains are 6 -7 thousand feet above sea level. This makes
a BIG difference to your body. The air actually is rare
(less oxygen per cubic foot of air), so your heart and lungs
work harder to get and circulate the oxygen necessary for
life. Your heart rate and breathing rate become faster, and
there is an increased blood flow to your brain. You may
notice some shortness of breath, tiredness with activity,
slight swelling in your fingers, and mild dizziness. These
feelings should get better as your body makes more red blood
cells to carry oxygen over the first week or two you are
here. That’s good, but the extra cells thicken the blood
slightly, which can be a problem for smokers and other
people at risk for heart attack or stroke. Some of the
medical conditions that may be aggravated by altitude
include:
And don’t forget the
altitude also makes you more likely to become sunburned
and dehydrated!
DO’S
-
Wear a hat and
sunscreen
-
Give yourself time to
adjust (10 to 14 days) before doing heavy activity
-
Drink plenty of
water, juice, or nonalcoholic, decaffeinated beverages
(8-10 glasses daily)
-
Take frequent rest
breaks
-
Reduce smoking (if
your are interested in quitting, call Dawn Marino RN at
537-6336)
-
Reduce alcohol and
caffeine intake (in excess, these can cause dehydration)
-
If you have high
blood pressure, have it checked every 3-4 days for the
first two weeks
-
If you have an
illness and plan to be here for more than 1 month,
establish yourself with a local physician
DON’TS
-
Be so active in the
first 2 weeks that your heart rate or breathing rate get
very high
-
Ignore your body when
you feel tired (take frequent rest breaks)
-
Overdo alcohol,
smoking, or caffeine
-
Forget to take your
regular medications as prescribed
-
Underestimate the
power of the sun to scorch you
WHEN TO SEEK MEDICAL
ATTENTION
See a doctor or go the hospital if you have:
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Severe dizziness or
if you pass out
-
Mental confusion
-
Shortness of breath
or difficulty, especially if it doesn’t go away when you
rest
-
Chest pain
-
Severe headache that
doesn’t go away with over-the-counter medicines
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Persistent or severe
high blood pressure
-
Persistent nausea and
vomiting
-
Significant swelling
in the feet or ankles
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Any condition that
you feel needs medical care
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