What is Altitude Sickness?

What is Altitude Sickness?

Altitude sickness happens because your body isn’t adjusting to the reduced oxygen levels at the higher elevation.

The air at sea level has 100% oxygen content for instance, while in Colorado it can vary from 84% in Denver, to 66% in Vail, and at Pikes Peak it drops further to 61%. So you lose almost half the amount of breathable oxygen when you’re here. That reduction causes what’s called Hypoxia (or lack of oxygen).

This causes your body to work harder to just exist. Most people visiting Colorado are here for fun. You're either hitting the slopes, taking in a Red Rocks show, or enjoying one of the 1000 breweries in Denver. All of those things drive the demand on your body and increase its oxygen consumption.

As you see things are starting to stack up against you here. This can lead to major hospitalization and even death if you don’t get treatment.

Who is affected by Altitude Sickness?

Anyone can be affected by it who might be visiting from a lower elevation. We normally see people from Florida, New York, and Texas hit the hardest since they are coming from sea level but that list isn’t exclusive.

Contrary to popular belief of the citizens of Denver, altitude sickness is a very real thing and wasn’t just made up to scare away everyone from moving here.

The two biggest factors that contribute to altitude sickness are the speed at which you ascend and the original starting point of your journey.

Denver is right around 5200 ft in elevation and most mountain resorts are above 8000 ft. Anything above that is considered High Altitude and you are at risk of developing symptoms

What does Altitude Sickness feel like?

It affects everyone differently, some it hits harder than others. A person’s preexisting health factors can contribute to the headache (pun intended). There are a few major symptoms that are common.

The first being a headache, this comes from your brain not getting enough oxygen so that headache is its way of screaming for help. Another one big is fatigue, this is because your body is not getting its most important fuel source, so you feel run down with no energy.

Your heart rate will also increase from pumping more to try to spread the limited amount of oxygen to all your organs.

You will also feel your breathing speed up and deepen, another way the body is trying to play catch up. A lot of people get extremely nauseous as well, and will even start to vomit.

These are warning signs from the body telling you that it needs help. Dizziness or lightheadedness, also show up because your brain is starving.

All these symptoms are called AMS or Acute Mountain Sickness. If left untreated this can develop into severe life threatening illnesses called High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), or High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE).

The first being where fluid builds up in the lungs causing you to drown from the inside, the other is when your brain swells from the lack of oxygen and causes confusion, loss of coordination and even seizures.

Both of these are considered a medical emergency and require a trip to the ER because they can result in death.

What are the treatments for Altitude Sickness?

Lower Elevation. Drop by at least 1000 ft in elevation, for a minimum of 5-8 hours.

Supplemental Oxygen. Visualize expanding the lower parts of your lungs open as much as you can. (This is why the O2 bars are so popular)

Acetazolamide (Diamox) is a medication you can take beforehand or after the onset of symptoms to help. This medication is a diuretic, in other words it normally makes you pee more which is caused because it increases the fluid in your body which helps with altitude sickness.

Tylenol & Ibuprofen - these are great for the headache, with ibuprofen being slightly more preferred because of its anti-inflammatory properties.

Replenish your fluids and electrolytes. Drinking water is always great but we really need those electrolytes that are vital for your body to function and make more blood, but it takes time for your body to use it. We could be a little biased here but IV Therapy is the fastest way to do this.

REST! This is key, it allows your body to catch up and get acclimated to the higher conditions (this is Colorado after all).

If you have severe symptoms go to the hospital though, you could require more oxygen, some people need a hyperbaric oxygen tank. That’s a pressurized tube that forces pure oxygen into the cells of your body, like when superman sits in front of the sun to heal.

How do I prevent Altitude Sickness?

Ascend slowly! This is key, don’t drive to the top of Pikes Peak or to the mountain resorts day one! Hang out in Denver on day one to help give your body the time it needs. About every 3000 ft you ascend you should spend a day resting there.

Hydrate!Hydrate!Hydrate! Drink lots of water and electrolytes, what's in your water is just as important as the water! B-12 is a good start but all of the B-Vitamins are key to helping your body acclimate! (that’s why they are called the essential ones)

No Caffeine or Alcohol, I could explain why but if your here to have fun your not following this bullet point anyway…moving on Choose your food!

Light high carb meals are preferred since your body can break it down faster. I hate to say it but those craft breweries are on to something.

Lastly you can take medications like Diamox and Dexamethasone to help your body get acclimated beforehand. A word of caution for the use of Dexamethasone, some people feel crummy after taking it and it also weakens the immune system so it's not ideal to take before traveling. Planes use recirculated air, so all those peoples germs are swirling around up there.

How does IV Therapy help?

No one wants to miss any amount of time from family vacation, time from friends, or enjoying the countless joys Colorado has to offer.

IV therapy puts water and electrolytes directly into your bloodstream. That means your body gets re-hydrated as fast as possible and gets all of the essential vitamins it needs. In minutes, not hours or days.

IV Therapy can also be a solution to your problems with a wide variety of medications and supplements that drinkable remedies can't provide.

So if you think you have altitude sickness or just not feeling your best, give us a call and let a friendly nurse help you maximize your time spent here in Colorado with us!