Adventure Sports India

Acclimatization – Adjusting to change in environment

Posted on 29. Oct, 2009 by Abhishek Daga in Activities, Adventure, Articles, Backpacking, Camping, Ladakh, Travel Tips, Trekking

Importance of acclimatization:

Acclimatization is essential for high altitude activity. An inevitable and normal process is acclimatization. It takes different timing on every individual. Generally people get relaxed and get adjusted before they hike lofty peaks. It is process which is performed while traveling to high elevation lands. This process slowly adapts your body to the lower atmospherically pressure. At lower elevations, many people don’t want to go for acclimatization. But on higher altitudes, they have to take it easy with the climate.

How to Acclimatize?

Below are some precautions that will help you out:

• Better to stay at a lower elevation during daytime.

• Get your body adjusted with the climate and the higher altitudes.

• Be normal when you are taken to high altitude treks. Be comfortable and take it easy the first couple of days.

• Avoid any kind of drinks or alcohol.

• Water should be drunk every hour. It will help your kidneys flush out the bicarbonates.

• Stay hydrated at higher altitudes.

• Try to have light food, have too much of carbohydrates and eat less protein and fats.

• Do not take any remedy which disturbs your normal sleeping habits such as sleeping pills.

Medicines to overcome acclimatization:

No such remedies are available for acclimatization but can help you slowly to overcome. Many a times, fit youngsters suffer more problems when they are on high altitude treks.

Diamox (Acetazolamide)

It will allow you to breathe faster so that you produce more oxygen. This will be useful at night. Better if you take Diamox before 24 hours of your hiking period. Take ii twice a day, one at night and one in morning. Continue this medicine for at least five days. It is sulfonamide drug, not for the people who are allergic to sulfa drugs.

Dexamethasone

It is a steroid that drop-offs brain and other swelling reversing the effects of AMS. This medicine will prevent you from altitude illness. Take advice from your doctor, because extreme use of this medicine can cause serious problem. It may be compared with Diamox. No other medicines have been tested important for precluding AMS.

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