Chiropractic Healing Works

Chiropractic Healing Works

4 Ways to Prevent Altitude Sickness When Vacationing in the Mountains

by Charlie Berry

Vacationing in the mountains can be so enjoyable. You can ski, hike, and just enjoy the views. Unfortunately, though, vacationing in the mountain also comes with a drawback: the potential for altitude sickness. With the low oxygen levels up in the mountains, some people begin to feel nauseous and woozy. Thankfully, it is possible to prevent or limit altitude sickness if you follow these tips.

1. Spend a day partway up.

If you're going to spend the majority of your vacation high up in the mountains, plan on spending the first day about halfway up. Look for a cabin you can rent, or see if there's a mountain resort you can at least spend the daylight hours at before continuing up. This will allow your body to adjust to the partial change in altitude before you climb higher and have to adjust to a greater change in altitude.

2. Drink lots of water.

While dehydration is not the key cause of altitude sickness, it is a contributing factor, in most cases. As you go to higher elevations, the humidity in the air decreases, which means you'll be losing moisture from your body without even realizing it. So, it's important to drink more water throughout the day. Keep your water bottle handy, and sip from it slowly. Combating dehydration should help ward off nausea, headaches, and other symptoms associated with altitude sickness. If you do develop some altitude sickness, it should not be as bad.

3. Avoid alcohol.

Drinking alcohol in the mountains may sound like fun, but alcohol does promote dehydration and may limit the amount of oxygen that makes it to your cells, which is not what you want when combating oxygen sickness. Avoid it entirely for your first two or three days in the mountains. After that, if you don't have any altitude sickness symptoms, you can drink in moderation.

4. Don't exercise right away.

Skiing and hiking in the mountains are fun, but they do raise your body's requirements for oxygen, making altitude sickness more likely. Try to give your body at least a day or two to adapt before you do anything too physically demanding. And throughout your trip, don't push yourself too hard, physically, if you're feeling any symptoms of altitude sickness.

Altitude sickness can ruin a mountain vacation, but it does not have to. Follow the tips above to avoid it completely, or at least keep it to a minimum. Contact services like Alpine Oxygen to learn more. 


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About Me

Chiropractic Healing Works

I used to be skeptical about chiropractic healing. However, that was before I tried it for myself. I was in an accident that did serious damage to my back. I followed all of the doctor’s recommendations, did my physical therapy, and still didn’t feel any better. That was when I finally decided to try going to my friend’s chiropractor. It was such a relief when I finally started to feel better thanks to the great chiropractic care I received. That’s when I decided to start researching chiropractic care and how it could be used to treat different conditions. This blog contains the results of that research. If you’re looking for a way to feel better, you too may benefit from chiropractic healing. These articles will help you learn how.

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