{"id":3088,"date":"2020-01-28T11:00:08","date_gmt":"2020-01-28T09:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.exoticca.travel\/blog\/?p=3088"},"modified":"2020-01-27T14:47:09","modified_gmt":"2020-01-27T12:47:09","slug":"altitude-sickness-what-it-is-and-how-to-avoid-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.exoticca.com\/us\/blog\/altitude-sickness-what-it-is-and-how-to-avoid-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Altitude Sickness: what it is and how to avoid it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A\npounding headache, a lack of energy, nausea &#8211; sound familiar? OK, this may\nsound like a hangover from hell, yet altitude sickness packs a similar punch.\nMountaineers dread these dizzying effects. However, you don\u2019t need to climb\nMount Everest to experience a mild form. Also known as mountain sickness, this\nillness is common when on a trip to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.exoticca.co.uk\/magazine\/cheap-holiday-deals-with-exoticca\/\">Peru,<\/a>\nBolivia, Bhutan and other high-altitude countries. But what exactly is altitude\nsickness?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What is high altitude sickness?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"425\" height=\"222\" src=\"https:\/\/www.exoticca.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/What-is-altitude-sickness-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3090\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.exoticca.com\/us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/What-is-altitude-sickness-1-1.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.exoticca.com\/us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/What-is-altitude-sickness-1-1-300x157.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As\noxygen gets thinner at high altitudes your lungs have to work harder. Even\nthough your lungs are putting in an extra shift, oxygen levels in your system\nare still low and muscles start to become fatigued as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After\nspending a few hours at high altitude, water loss also increases and, if not\noffset by drinking more fluids, dehydration occurs. Altitude can also increase\nyour metabolism while decreasing your appetite, meaning you\u2019ll have to eat\nextra calories to maintain your energy levels.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>AMS\n(acute mountain sickness) is the mildest form and is extremely common. Symptoms\ninclude vomiting, tiredness, headaches and aching muscles. More serious forms\nof high altitude sickness can lead to a buildup of fluid on the lungs or brain,\nand can even be life-threatening.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Who does it affect?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike\nother illnesses age, sex and general health do not seem to make a difference in\nrisk for altitude sickness. However, people with lung or heart disease should\navoid high altitudes. Those usually living at low altitude such as sea level,\nare also more likely to feel the strain of being high up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to combat altitude sickness&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"425\" height=\"222\" src=\"https:\/\/www.exoticca.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/What-is-altitude-sickness-2.jpg\" alt=\"altitude sickness\" class=\"wp-image-3092\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.exoticca.com\/us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/What-is-altitude-sickness-2.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.exoticca.com\/us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/What-is-altitude-sickness-2-300x157.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nmost effective way to avoid altitude sickness is by gradually increasing your\naltitude. This process, known as acclimatisation, gives your body time to adapt\nto the lack of oxygen. With this in mind try to avoid arriving directly at high\naltitudes by flying or driving. Many medics agree that upon reaching 3,000m\nabove sea level, that you should only increase your altitude by 500m every\ncouple of days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Along\nwith a steady incline, avoid drinking alcohol as it can make symptoms worse.\nDrink plenty of water and, above all, take it easy; we suggest taking a break\nwhen walking every 20 minutes. In addition to this, Andean people advise\nconsuming coca leaves, either chewed directly, or drunk as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.organicfacts.net\/health-benefits\/herbs-and-spices\/coca-tea.html\">tea<\/a>; most\nhotels and bars in the Andes stock it for this reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Don\u2019t\nlet it stop you<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>High\naltitude sickness may seem a bit scary, yet with the correct preparation\nthere\u2019s no need to worry. Feeling ready to drink in the elegance of Bhutan, or\ndiscover ancient cities in the clouds?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.exoticca.travel\/\">Trips to countries in the clouds<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A pounding headache, a lack of energy, nausea &#8211; sound familiar? OK, this may sound like a hangover from hell, yet altitude sickness packs a similar punch. Mountaineers dread these dizzying effects. However, you don\u2019t need to climb Mount Everest to experience a mild form. Also known as mountain sickness, this illness is common when [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":3091,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[287],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Altitude Sickness: what it is and how to avoid it - Exoticca Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A pounding headache, a lack of energy, nausea - sound familiar? 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