How to deal with the trouble of high-altitude high-altitude outdoor activities

With the continuous improvement of people’s material living standards and the extensive development of outdoor activities, many donkeys are not limited to local one-day activities and multi-day activities. Many people have already targeted the long-term and even more beautiful long-term landscapes. The team has already moved to high altitude areas and started activities such as hiking, cycling and driving, such as going to Tibet, Xinjiang, and Qinghai.

So what is the difference between physical fitness and equipment requirements in high altitude areas and on weekdays in ordinary local elevation areas? This is what we will introduce in this lesson. How to deal with the trouble of high-altitude high-altitude outdoor activities

I. What is high altitude?

In accordance with international practice, the criteria for altitude classification are:

—— 1500~3500 meters is high altitude. At this altitude, most of our long-time climbers can adapt in a short time.

- 3500 ~ 5500 meters for the ultra-high altitude, at this height, vary from person to person, mainly based on personal differences in the body to determine whether the adaptability or the size of the alpine response;

- Above 5,500 meters is a very high altitude. At this altitude, the human body function will be severely degraded, causing serious damage to the body's body and core organs, and some of the damage is irreversible. No one will stay at this altitude for long periods of time. Even Tibetans and Sherpas living at high altitudes will live permanently in areas under 5,500 meters.

From the altitude distribution map on the Sichuan-Tibet line, we can see that the towns are at relatively low altitudes.

What is the cause of people’s troubles at high altitude? This is what we often say about altitude sickness.

Second, the altitude sickness

The altitude sickness refers to a series of natural physiological responses that occur when a person reaches a certain altitude, and the body functions to adapt to the problems of air pressure difference, low oxygen content, and air drying caused by altitude changes.

Symptoms of altitude sickness generally appear after more than 2,700 meters above sea level. People who live under 300 meters above sea level for a long period of time generally experience high-level symptoms when they exceed 2,200 meters. When the direct and rapid arrival reaches 3000 meters or more, the incidence of high incidence will increase.

In the plateau reaction area, high anti-reaction phenomenon usually occurs in a few hours, and some will occur in 1 to 2 days. Generally it can be restored in 3 to 7 days. In severe cases, it needs to go to the hospital for assistance.

Highly specific symptoms:

Symptoms and levels may vary depending on individual conditions. It can be said that all the uncomfortable feelings that are not encountered at low altitude can be considered as high-risk. The main manifestations are: chest tightness, shortness of breath, dry cough, headache, toothache, dizziness, fatigue, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, lethargy , insomnia, micro-burning, etc.; most people will be due to lack of oxygen and purple lips and nails, some people will appear dry skin due to air dry, dry lips, nostrils, bleeding; severe cases will appear dull, mood is not Ning, spiritual excitement, thinking, memory loss, hearing, vision, smell, taste abnormalities, hallucinations, etc., may also occur edema, shock or paralysis.

Clinical manifestations are: patients with reduced blood oxygen, elevated blood pressure, heart rate, severe pulmonary edema and even brain edema.

How to deal with high?

Third, what factors affect the altitude sickness

In general, the main factors affecting the severity and incidence of high reversal are:

(a) Altitude

The higher the altitude entered, the stronger the altitude sickness and the greater the chance of suffering from various mountain diseases. According to relevant reports, the high incidence of humans below 3,500 meters accounted for 37% to 51%, and the incidence rate of 3600 meters to 5000 meters reached 50%.

(II) Entry mode

The rising speed and magnitude of entering high altitudes directly affect the strength of the altitude response. The rapid increase in altitude is stronger than the step-by-step “elevation increase” response, and the prevalence of mountain sickness is increasing.

According to reports, the incidence of acute mountain sickness was 83.5% from 4,200 meters above sea level in the 3rd day; and the rate was only 52.7% from 2261 meters after reaching the 4200 meters in 7-15 days.

(iii) Areas and Seasons

In different regions, even at the same or even higher altitudes, densely populated areas respond more lightly than areas with scarce vegetation; similarly, in the same region, where air exchange is better than in slower circulation areas (such as valleys), The day is better than the evening.

In terms of seasons, the prevalence of winter is higher in high altitude areas than in other seasons. This is because the temperature decreases during the winter, the atmospheric pressure decreases, and the oxygen content further decreases; and the cold and dry air will stimulate the metabolism, increase the oxygen consumption of the human body, and easily cause respiratory infection.

(4) Personal qualities

The adaptability of people to an oxygen-deficient environment depends mainly on the quality of individual organisms. This involves ethnic groups, places of residence, physical health, gender, age, weight, and mental status.

With regard to high-rising, there is such a saying that high-risk is "deception, bullying, bullying, bullying, bullying and bullying". According to the actual situation, there is a certain basis. The reason for this should be related to the differences in the hematocrit, oxygen demand, and oxygen consumption between individuals.

In general, patients with severe heart, lung, brain, liver and kidney diseases, severe anemia, hypertension and retinal diseases, and pregnant women should not enter high altitude areas. Suffering from upper respiratory tract infection and fever, body temperature above 38 °C, or cold patients, should be suspended into the plateau.

Children are in a period of physical development and have poor comprehensive resistance. They are very sensitive to the hypoxic conditions of the plateau and are more likely to cause altitude sickness. The consequences are more serious and lasting. It is recommended that you do not bring children under the age of 10 to high altitudes for long periods of time.

Elderly people who are too old and in poor health are also not suitable for high altitudes. As the physical function of the elderly is completely degraded, especially the heart and lung function and immunity are declining, the ability to deal with special circumstances will also decline, and it will be easy to catch a cold or suffer from gastrointestinal problems, and it will be more prone to acute altitude sickness.

Understand the predicament of high altitude activities, so what are we going to prepare for?

IV. Preparation before high altitude

(I) Mental preparation

Practice has proved that good psychological quality is a magic weapon for overcoming and overcoming difficulties. This is also a panacea for dealing with high levels of reaction. Optimistic minds tend to respond lighter, have too much burden on their hearts, or have high fears of fear, which in turn will heighten the anti-criticism.

(B) Physical and physical preparation

Before going to high altitude, you need to adjust your physical fitness to a better state.

According to the intensity of plateau activities, targeted training, such as mountaineering, crossing and other high-intensity sports, the training of the initial system is indispensable. However, most of us go to the plateau is a leisure nature outdoor, so attention should be placed on high-contrast aspects. In fact, there is no inevitable link between altitude sickness and physical strength. It is only related to the body's ability to adapt and regulate and does not require deliberate exercise. If you feel uneasy, you can also do aerobic exercise a month or two in advance, and perform some jogging exercises. However, you must take a rest before starting your departure. Do not exercise anymore.

When we went to Tibet this time, we usually had very good constitutional players, and the opposition was relatively high. Especially at altitudes over 4500, the response was even more pronounced. Especially for those who liked to fly when photographing, they almost completely collapsed. This is what we said earlier. The reason why the plateau is bullying is not bullying.

Reliance on drug support also has some anti-hyperactive effects. Many people take inosine, plateau security, rhodiola, and American ginseng, and other anti-hypoxic and health-enhancing health drugs before going to the plateau. It is also popular to use acetazolamide neurological drugs to overcome high reflexes. However, these drugs should be taken with caution.

"Inosine oral solution" is faster, more direct and more affordable for anti-altitude sickness. It can be taken normally 2-3 days before departure and can be taken at high altitude. Especially when the altitude sickness is heavy, the combination of Xinnaoshu Oral Liquid and Glucose Oral Liquid has a good mitigation effect. It is also one of the prescriptions treated by Tibetan District Hospitals for the treatment of high abnormalities; Rhodiola (in the pharmacy often referred to as “Nudikon” "Capsules") are certainly beneficial from the point of view of biological and medical experiments and applications to prove that fighting fatigue and alleviating high levels of anti-fatigue, but the effect is potentially slow and expensive. If you use Rhodiola, it is generally recommended that you take it more than 7 days in advance of the plateau and continue taking it. Plateau An is the American ginseng, Salvia miltiorrhiza extract, astragalus extract, Rhodiola extract, microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate as an excipient can improve the health of hypoxia tolerance.

From our 27-day visit to Tibet, the role of these “drugs” is not obvious. It may be related to not taking it as required, and it is also related to the individual's function. Therefore, to overcome the high-response, we must combine other aspects.

(three) knowledge preparation

Traveling is one of the skills that ALICE should possess. Learn ahead of time to master high-altitude living, sports, medical care, climate, customs, and other related knowledge.

A full understanding of the knowledge of how to deal with high altitude adaptation, mountain sickness and other related issues and how to deal with it is a prerequisite for our safe and smooth operation at high altitude.

(four) material preparation

High-altitude sports can be prepared according to the different methods of walking, cycling, and driving.

Apart from conventional personal equipment, it is necessary to have a complete set of equipment according to the season. In high altitude areas, there will be a large temperature difference between morning and evening. Climate change will be numerous. Even in sunny summer, warm clothes and rain gear must be carried.

Team activities, if there are more new people, it is recommended to bring oxygen or oxygen stand-by, if you arrive at a higher elevation, sparsely populated, if necessary, take some aspirin, dexamethasone and other drugs for emergency, emergency kits should also have oximeter , sphygmomanometer, stethoscope.

V. Protection measures

Grasping some ways to cope with high levels will reduce your high-altitude repercussions at high altitude activities, which will increase your activity quality and sense of well-being

(a) drinking water

Drinking plenty of water is the best way to ease high anti-drugs. Drink plenty of water several times and control the amount of water each time. Drink plenty of water in the resident and thoroughly drink water.

Because people reach high altitude, the spinal cord will quickly produce a large number of new red blood cells to improve blood oxygen carrying capacity, these new red blood cells will make the blood become viscous; at the same time, because the air is dry and thin, breathing speeds up, so that the body loses moisture compared to the plains. Soon, this dehydration made the blood thicker.

In addition, in the hypoxic state, the human respiratory rate is accelerated, the depth is increased, resulting in excessive carbon dioxide discharge, the internal environment is alkaline, causing the body's ion balance disorder, the body tissue cells began to accumulate body fluids, resulting in body edema, and even Edema occurs, but it also encourages the blood to become thicker.

The blood is too viscous, which can lead to slow blood circulation, low oxygen delivery rate, various reactions of various organs of the body due to lack of oxygen, such as brain hypoxia leading to headache, dizziness, lethargy, digestive system hypoxia can cause indigestion Anorexia, muscle hypoxia makes the activity slow and weak. The microcirculation of the limbs (toes, fingers, ears, etc.) is prone to frostbite, and the heart and lung burden is severely aggravated. These will greatly reduce physical function, increase altitude sickness, and make recovery more difficult.

Then there is the reduction of water intake, the inability of the intestine to obtain enough water to dilute the waste, and also the difficulty of excretion leading to constipation.

Therefore, it is very important to add water, which can increase blood flow and accelerate recovery, and can accelerate urination and balance the body's pH.

In general, you should drink at least 4-5 liters of water a day at high altitude. In order to maintain electrolyte balance, you can also drink some power drinks. Whether the body's water is sufficient can be judged based on urine volume, urine clearness, and color.

(B) pay attention to keeping warm

Weather characteristics: Plateau air temperature is low, general elevation of every 1000 meters, the temperature dropped by 5 ~ 6 °C; sooner or later, temperature difference between day and night, in some areas temperature difference between morning and evening up to 15 ~ 20 °C; weather changed, just still sunny, very It's likely that the winds will be raging, and thunderstorms will hail. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to protecting the cold and keeping warm in the plateau.

In the outdoor activities on the plains, frequent changes of clothes are required. Adding or subtracting clothes is generally cold, but on the plateau, you should get out of the car and change them to the outside, so as not to feel the heat as the standard. If you feel like cold when you add clothes, in fact, the cold has begun to invade and stimulate the body to react, so it is easy to catch a cold, remember that the plateau is the natural enemy of cold patients. Even mild respiratory infections increase the risk of high altitude pulmonary edema. If you have symptoms of an initial cold, you should take anti-flu medicine immediately. It is generally not effective if you wait until the illness rises. For headaches caused by altitude sickness, you can take headache tablets, headaches, and add a hundred lining (phenol coffee) effect is good.

When the high altitude pulmonary edema was found, it was necessary to immediately stop the activity and to lower it to a low altitude, and it was necessary to go to the hospital for emergency treatment. However, medical resources in Tibet were scarce. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the occurrence of previous pulmonary edema.

(III) Dietary structure

In the hypoxic environment at the plateau, the metabolism of the human body is affected, and the functions of the digestive system such as stomach, intestine, liver, gallbladder and the like are relatively weakened, so that the ability to digest and absorb food is reduced.

In contrast, the body's consumption of energy, vitamins, etc. has increased significantly. According to relevant studies, the daily energy consumed by the human body in the highland area is 3% to 5% more than normal, and it increases in direct proportion; the vitamin consumption is usually 2 to 5 times that in the absence of oxygen.

Therefore, in the high-altitude diet structure, we must not only consider the digestive system's ability to bear, but also pay attention to improving nutritional catering.

In terms of diet, it is necessary to increase the proportion of high carbohydrates (plants, grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans, dairy products that contain only a large amount of carbohydrates derived from animals) and the intake of high plant proteins. Intake of vitamins to provide quick heat and improve body adaptability.

Eat less oily foods. Excess fat and animal protein can burden the gastrointestinal tract and increase altitude sickness.

In the plateau should not eat full, to eat small meals, including some nutritious and digestible snacks.

In addition to vitamins in food, vitamin supplements should be added daily to meet the needs of the body. Tibetan butter tea and sweet tea can be adapted to drink more and have a certain role in alleviating altitude sickness.

The plateau needs to be banned, because alcohol increases the burden on the heart and liver, and its metabolism consumes a lot of water in the body, which only aggravates or prolongs altitude sickness.

Less smoking, because of the large amount of smoke, can affect the oxygen exchange in the respiratory system, thereby increasing the high reversal phenomenon.

(D) Plateau skills

When I first arrive at the plateau, I must control the rhythm, amplitude, frequency, and amount of exercise. I must pat slowly and do everything slowly. Even if I go to the toilet, I must slow down. The higher the altitude, the more I should pay attention. Especially those who like to jump up and down must remember!

Abdominal breathing pattern is used to suck two mouths when it is not enough to ensure oxygen supply.

When the plateau is active, if it is not dangerous and can be tolerated, try not to absorb oxygen and try to adjust to adapt to it. Otherwise, it is easy to create oxygen-dependent troubles. For people with high and severe dyspnea, when it is determined to continue to descend and stop high altitude activities, oxygen can be properly relieved.

(five) sleep adjustment

Plateau nights are often more difficult than during the day, and sleeping is an uncomfortable thing, often in insomnia or light sleep.

From the environment, the night air pressure is low, and at the same time as the plant photosynthesis is weakened, the oxygen content in the air is further reduced; once in the night, due to parasympathetic nerve function, the respiratory rate will be slowed down, and the lack of oxygen will affect the quality of sleep, which is often easy. Being awake, so use some tricks to complete sleep.

People who have just arrived at the plateau, many people are lethargic because of their high incidence, and go to bed very early in the evening. In doing so, it is easy to wake up after waking up in the middle of the night and you will be able to blink until dawn, which will cause lack of sleep and even disturb the biological clock, affecting the activities of the next day. So, at the plateau, we must delay back 1 to 2 hours and sleep according to our sleep habits.

Under the premise of preventing cold and keeping warm, we must pay attention to maintaining ventilation to ensure air circulation.

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(6) UV protection

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is characterized by high altitude, thin air, and thin clouds, all of which affect the obstruction of ultraviolet rays. The intensity of ultraviolet rays is very high and can easily damage the skin and eyes, especially in the snow. Protective measures must be taken to avoid injury. When the light is strong, try to reduce the bare skin area.

Even on cloudy days, sun protection measures must be taken. Because the cloudy ultraviolet rays can still burn people. Sun hats, sunglasses, cuffs, and turbans are required. When traveling, members should be reminded to wear sunscreen (SPF50PA++++). Both men and women need sun protection.

summary:

In the above, we analyzed and explained the impact of high altitude activities, and also proposed some countermeasures. However, we should not rely on “drugs” to solve the high-response problems. We should scientifically solve the problem caused by high anti- The trouble is that the high reaction is a normal reaction in the plateau area. We must have enough ideological preparations. Do not worry too much. We must rely on our own will and scientific training methods to overcome the high rebellion.

The general approach is to cope with the high rebellion mainly by relying on time to adapt. The slow elevation of altitude will effectively overcome the high reversal, such as the process of hiking, riding, and driving into the Tibet Autonomous Region. If you stop and go, you will be able to rise slowly in elevation. Adapting to high altitudes, for those who fly directly to high altitude areas and start activities without adaptation, the advantages are very obvious, and the high-impact adaptability will also be strengthened. Therefore, when we are working in high altitude areas, we must adapt to altitude training for every height we increase. Training programs usually take a certain period of time or we can add leisure and walking to adapt.