Why altitude sickness occurs is not understood. It is not because there is less oxygen in the air, as many would assume, and it may actually be the low carbon dioxide levels that cause the problem, since this can lead to an increase in the pH value of one`s blood.
Its effects are not consistent and it has little or nothing to do with fitness. I was fine in the highest city in the world, Potosi (4060m above sea level), but had a nosebleed during the middle of the night in Cusco (3450m). I have had minor head pangs and suffered shortness of breath when walking uphill or upstairs (I am currently on the fourth floor of a hotel at 3800m) but pacing myself can generally sort out this problem.
The worst time for me is at night. Once lying flat, I seem to have difficulty catching my breath. I heat up (taking off layers of clothes at -15 degrees in Uyuni at 4300m) and if I do sleep, wake in starts, usually having dreamt of some form of persecution or other. The only way to prevent a recurrence of the nightmare preceding the head-tossing awakening is to sit up for a while (normally with the computer) as I am doing as I write this.
No comments:
Post a Comment