Altitude Sickness Takes Your Breath Away
If you are going to the mountains, you will want to know about AMS. AMS stands for Acute Mountain Sickness, commonly referred to as Altitude Sickness.
What causes altitude sickness? As you reach higher altitudes, barometric pressure decreases and every breath you take contains fewer molecules of oxygen causing you to take more breaths to get the oxygen you need. This can happen when you exert yourself walking up any hill. At low altitudes the shortness of breath usually resolves itself soon after you rest. This is not so at high altitudes. As the amount of oxygen in your lungs decreases, the blood becomes less and less efficient at acquiring and transporting oxygen, so no matter how many breaths you take, you are unlikely to attain a normal blood level of oxygen. It takes your brain a few days to figure out that it has to breathe more. Although everyone reacts differently, anybody can get AMS, even those who are physically fit, with lots of high altitude experience.
The most common reason for getting AMS is directly related to how quickly you ascend, so if you plan to go high, it is better to go slow. If that’s not possible, at least know the symptoms and what to do, and you should be able to feel better quickly and avoid the severe, life-threatening forms. Drink lots of liquids, exercise moderately and eat small meals high in carbohydrates and low in fat. Other important steps to take include avoiding alcohol, sleeping pills and narcotic pain medications in more than modest doses.
Signs you might be suffering from AMS include nausea, dizziness, insomnia, headaches, bloody nose, fatigue or weakness, loss of appetite, confusion and staggering. To decrease the effects of AMS, ascend slowly and let yourself acclimate to each altitude. Drink plenty of fluids - water and juice. Avoid alcohol. Minimize caffeine and salt intake. Eat a low fat, high carbohydrate diet. Descend if it’s really bad.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.