People who are planning a trip to Tibet always concern the high altitude sickness a lot. That because altitude sickness is a potential threaten for travelers who used to live in plain to the Tibet—could but not must attack with different degree for different people. Then, how to deal with it? What we should do to prevent it? Here are the practical tips on how to avoid the high altitude sickness in Tibet.
People Disagreeing with the Environment in Tibet
People with obvious pathologic changes with their hearts, lungs, brains, livers and kidneys, or with severe anemia and hypertension are NOT recommended to do a travel in Tibet such a high plateau.
If you haven’t been a plateau before, then you’d better have a overall physical examination in advance.
People suffering from the above diseases usually have poor adaptive capacity for the Tibet plateau environment. At the early time in Tibet, they got higher risk to be attacked by plateau sick than others; if they stay a long time in plateau, they tend to be easier to catch chronic diseases; meanwhile, as those important organs like liver, lung and heart taking heavier pressure to fit the tough environment here, it would be worsen for those organs once there is any problem to them.
Thus, if you are not sure that whether your body permits you a Tibet travel, please consult with doctors and take health at the first place.
People Permitted to Travel in Tibet by their physical conditions
Preparation before Enter into Tibet
- Before your tour to Tibet, ask for experience or some suggestions from people live or lived in high land, collect information about from internet to get ideas about altitude sickness.
- Before entering into theTibet plateau, don’t smoke to stop upper respiratory infection; avoid to be too tired to guarantee a good rest; you could properly have some American Ginseng or Rhodiola rosea to adjust your body into a better condition.
- GOOD MENTAL QUALITY is the panacea for the altitude sicknessin Tibet. A lot of facts proved that people without common physical quality overcome the horrible altitude sickness successfully with strong and positive mental condition, conversely, the too much tension when occurring any discomfort raises the oxygen consumption of brain and then worsen the discomfort and lengthen the curing time.
- If you have not been any plateau before, you are suggested to consult from doctors firstly.
How Dose the Altitude Sickness Show?
It is different for each person and hard to predict if it will hit you or her or him, that means the strong ones will not absolutely feel better than a weak one. And the altitude sickness performs in different way to different people. Usually, thinner people feel better than fatter ones; women are better than men; shorter ones better than taller and younger better than elder people.
The exact performance caused by altitude sickness showing as below:
rhythm of the hearts
72 times/min is normal in plain. When arrive at plateau at the first time, it could be 80-90 times/min and even 100 times/min. After get used to it for a few days, the rhythm will low down to the normal standard again.
Breath
People will feel shortness of breath and chest distress, quicker breathing rhythm. It will also become normal after a few days of adaption.
Blood pressure
When the early time on the plateau, the blood vessel of skins and organs will shrink and blood pressure will go up to guarantee supplying enough blood for brains and the whole body. Also it will recover after a short time accommodation.
Nervous system
Central nervous system is quite sensitive for oxygen shortness in brain, showing excitement of nerves and then causing mood tension, headache, swirl, insomnia and amnesia, etc, which will alleviate when people come to a place with lower altitude. Those nervous system discomfort usually is closely related to people’s mental condition. If you have good mental preparation for it, you are lesser to suffer from those discomfort.
Digestive system
Affected by the altitude sickness in Tibet, the digestive system tend to keep their functions weakly, showing loss of appetite, bloating, stomachache and so on, recovering after a short time of living here.
Related reading:
- Tibet Travel Safety Tips to keep You Healthy and Safe in Tibet
- Things to Know before Visiting Tibet in Winter
- Latest FAQs and Tips for Traveling to Tibet
Tips for Altitude Sickness during the Tibet trip
Usually, each person will feel shortness of breath, chest distress and something like that, which doesn’t mean you disagree with the environment of Tibet plateau, just relax, it will come to be well 2 to 4 days later.
Following are tips to help you to be free from the suffering as soon as possible:
- Don’t have any strenuous sport at the beginning of the time you arrive at Tibet plateau but have a good rest to make your body to fit it quickly, especially for people who take flight to Tibet—the symptoms will be shown in 12-14 hours when they land on.
- About oxygen uptake. People are not suggested to take oxygen as long as they feel bad because usually those symptoms will relieve later after a few days of adaption and much oxygen intake will easily become dependent. Of course, if people still feel bad after some time, you could take some oxygen for relief.
- Please note that if you get to be worse when you enter into the Tibet plateau for a few days, you should go to hospital for treatment.
- Keep a good diet habit and timetable and avoid being tired. Don’t take a bath in the first days in Tibet as it will easily catch a cold to result in high altitude pulmonary edema.
- People who keep sports for years will suffer less pain caused by altitude sickness but still should be careful for it.
- A good and positive mental condition will be the important point for people to overcome the altitude sickness.
