FAQ about High Altitude Sickness

1.What is High Altitude Sickness?

The high altitude sickness is natural physical reaction for the body want to adapt to the low pressure, poor oxygen, dry air and some other changes after reaching a certain altitude. In general, people will appear high altitude sickness after reaching 2700 meters high places. The symptoms of high altitude sickness commonly include headache, short breath, chest distress, asitia, low fever, dizzy, asthenia and so on. Part of people will appear purple lips, hypersomnia, hyperpragia and some other different symptoms due to oxygen deficiency. Some people will appear pachylosis, parched lips, nose bleeding or some other symptoms which caused by dry air.

2.How to Alleviate High Altitude Sickness?

Large part of people will appear light or serious high altitude sickness when just reach high plateau. There are no regulations about who will get high altitude sickness. The best way to alleviate high altitude sickness is keeping in good mood to face it. Many symptoms of high altitude sickness are psychological effect or caused by psychological effect.

1). You are suggested not to walk fast, run, or do physical labor when you just reach high plateau. You should not eat too much to add burden to your digestive organs, smoke or drink alcohol. You should eat more vegetables, fruits and some other things with rich Vitamin, drink moderate water, and pay attention to keep warm, have fewer baths to avoid cold and physical consumption. You are suggested to adapt to the high plateau by yourself, while not inhale oxygen at first, or you can not leave oxygen inhalation.

2). You are suggested to have some high altitude sickness alleviate medicine to prevent it, like the Sedum safflower capsules (which is effective for improving hypoxia tolerance and alleviating tiredness), rhodiola (which is useful for improving immunity, radiation protection, and antifatigue), saffron crocus (which is useful for dealing with cold weather on high plateau), Bufferin (can control the headache which caused by high altitude sickness), Quick Acting Heart Reliever (which should be taken in emergency situation).

3. What should do if appear high altitude sickness after coming into Tibet?

In Tibet, there are hospitals or community hospitals in some hotels or some larger towns. If the symptoms of high altitude sickness are not serious, you can adjust yourself to adjust to the high plateau condition. If serious, you are suggested to see a doctor. Once the high altitude sickness appear, you should take a rest, do less physical labor, take some high altitude sickness alleviate medicine. If appear serious high altitude sickness, like edema, pneumonedema, bad cold and so on, you are suggested to get treatment at hospitals, and quickly leave high plateau. In general, the high altitude sickness will disappear after you get on plane or reach plain.