Being fearful of elevation whether during a plane trip, or climbing a mountain is a serious problem that impacts many persons and will have significant if not fatal repercussions on the respective person. The illness is provoked by the lack of oxygen.
The easiest manifestation of height sickness can appear at altitudes of 2000 meters and it will show itself itself through headaches, dizziness, and incapability of movement. These signs and symptoms will fade away in a few days if you continue staying at that height. This is also known as altitude sickness.
The most significant sensations of height sickness appear at very high altitudes usually over 3000 meters in altitude. Alongside the symptoms already mentioned, others can appear like: loosing appetite, sleep disorders and waking up frequently in the middle of the night. The difficulty that can be encountered when breathing, stomach sickness, temporary losses of memory, encountering difficulty when trying to focus are amongst the most typical and severe symptoms that solicit an immediate change of altitude.
Who are the ones most likely to be scared of heights?
It’s impossible to calculate who is going to be altitude ill. Interestingly, older people, people with low physical activity and poor health are not more impacted by the height sickness than other individuals. And also this means that if you never encountered this problem until now you can’t be sure that you won’t feel sick next time you take a trip by plane or climb a mountain.
How can this be avoided and steps to prevent it from happening in the future?
The best solution to prevent this feeling in the mountains is to climb gradually until you arrive at the desired destination, and to climb in such a way that the whole process is going to take at least a few days. In case of a plane flight, ask the advice of the doctor about the medication you can take to stop the alternative of being plane sick.
It is extremely important to drink as much water as you can possibly drink to avoid dehydration, a factor that can make the sensation of sick worse. A big volume of water is lost when you are at low temperatures, but also when you are involved in activities that need a great work, like winter sports.
There is medication available as well. Consult your healthcare person for recommendations.
Neal writes about health topics and other business topics.