How to Avoid Altitude Sickness in Five Easy Steps

03 Oct How to Avoid Altitude Sickness in Five Easy Steps

There are a lot of tempting vacation destinations many thousands of feet above sea level: the Alps, the Himalayas, the Bugaboo Mountains, Kilimanjaro, and Machu Picchu, to name just a few. High altitude vacations often mean bright, clear days, challenging hikes, and (depending on the season) ice and snow to play in. Provided you avoid altitude sickness, they can make for a great trip. Here are some smart precautions.

1. Take it s-l-o-w
It can take your body anywhere from 1-3 days to get used to the thinner mountain air. To avoid headaches, nose bleeds, and dizziness, be sure to ease into your vacation. If possible, leave the toughest trails for later in your trip, and consider taking the first day to explore your base camp.
Where you stay matters too. It’s fine to explore at 10,000 feet above sea level, but you’ll be more comfortable sleeping at 7,000 feet. Lots of resting and an early bedtime for everyone are a good idea too.

2. Drink twice the water and half the alcohol
At 6,000 feet above sea level, you exhale and perspire twice as much as you do at sea level. That’s a lot of water lost over the course of an average day. Drinking lots of water will help you avoid the unpleasant symptoms of dehydration.

Many people claim that one alcoholic drink at sea level is like two in the mountains. While this isn’t scientifically true from a blood alcohol standpoint, alcohol can definitely exacerbate some of the symptoms of high altitude transitions.

3. Use a humidifier and moisturize
It can be difficult to sleep in low humidity environments. High altitude hoteliers know this, and often have humidifiers available. Not willing to take that chance? There are many different travel humidifiers available for purchase on Amazon.com – some designed to work with a standard water bottle.

Also, bring plenty of lotion and stash a lip balm in all your pockets. Chapped lips are pretty inevitable in the mountains, but you don’t have to go down without a fight.

4. Get serious about sun protection
Even with a good hat and sunscreen, you’re going to get a lot of UVA and UVB rays in the mountains because you’re so much closer to the sun. Plus the air is a lot thinner. Use a good broad spectrum sunscreen and reapply every two hours at least. It’s also a good idea to spend a few hours inside during the sunniest hours of the day.

5. Bring medication
If you tend to feel lousy at higher altitudes, but Tibet is on your bucket list, talk to your doctor about taking a preventative course of Diamox starting 24 hours before ascending and concluding on descent.

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Jamie Pearson

Jamie Pearson is a freelance writer, a mother of two, and the publisher of the independent family travel blog Travel Savvy Mom. She regularly writes about family travel for Vail Resorts and Homewood Suites, and her dispatches have also appeared on National Geographic’s Intelligent Travel Blog and on Fodors.com.

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