Question on preventing altitude sickness
 

My family is heading to Santa Fe and environs next spring. We usually live a completely average life at sea level.

I have been reading about drinking plenty of water to ward off altitude sickness. My question is, how much is plenty? I am the type of person that forgets to drink most days. I am never thirsty. I sometimes get headaches from dehydration at home, but then I just drink two glasses of water and lie down to sleep. It's usually gone by the time I wake. That means that I get dehydrated at sea level after two or three days with nothing to drink but coffee in the AM and wine with dinner.

I naturally don't want any time lost to preventable illness on a short vacation. How much water should I plan on drinking before we leave, and once we arrive? Are two of those half-liter Poland Spring bottler each day enough, or do I need to drink twice or thrice as much?

I am absolutely serious with this questions as I am one who just never feels thirsty.

Thanks,
Staci

avoid liquor and caffeine
don't do much the first day
drink as much water as you can
skip any diuretic medication(ask Dr)

being in the best shape is a big factor.

a lot of people never experience altitude sickness, maybe you won't either.

We went to Santa Fe several years ago and I didn't have any altitude sickness. When we were in Breckenridge the altitude really bothered me for several days so maybe Santa Fe won't be high enough to bother you.

I live in New Mexico. Remember, it's the high desert, so it's dry to start with. I drink more than a liter of water per day here, and you will probably need more than your usual amount as well.

Lee Ann

I live near sea level as well, 32 feet. I have never had altitude sickness even on top of Pikes Peak at an altitude of 14,110 feet above sea level.

You sound like you are going to worry yourself sick worrying about getting sick.

Just live a healthy life style, take care of yourself and take the days as they come. Most of all stop worrying!

Okay, thanks for the responses. I smiled at Redrock's message. I know you are right. I'll just plan a wonderful trip and take it as it comes.

Thanks for the attitude adjustment.

Staci

Do people really get altitude sickness at 7000 feet?

Absolutely they get altitude sickness at 7000 feet. My DH does when we are camping and he puts up the tent and organizes the campsite. But if we stay in a cabin and we have him relax, he is able to avoid it by not exerting too much on the first day. He's not old either!

Heck, I've gotten a headache from the altitude in Denver once. Most of the time I'm fine though, so it really all depends on the individual. If you are affected, it's not going to matter one bit that others had no issues with it.

I'd say you need to drink more water in general based on you saying you have headaches from dehydration every 2-3 days. That can't be good long term. Certainly for the trip to Santa Fe you're going to have to drink more water and cut back on the caffeine and alcohol, at least until you figure out how the altitude and dry air affects you specifically.

How much water is a guess - you sure don't want to be running to the bathroom every 20 minutes. I guess I'd say before the trip for a few days drink enough water so you have to go every 2-3 hours minimum, then keep that up for at least the first day or two. And make sure you get enough rest while you're out there.

Predicting the appearence and severity of altitude sickness is pretty much impossible, even for the same person. Some people almost never have it, others get it at (relatively) low altitudes, others get it one time but not the other. All you can do is try to prevent it, be ready for it if it happens, and then wait for it go away. The advice from Spiro is good. If your attempts at prevention don't work, just take aspirin, relax a bit, and wait for your body to adjust.

A couple things I'd add:
The best hydration is provided by tap water. Don't be a sucker for the person who came up with the idea of putting tap water in 20 oz plastic bottles and charging you $1 for doing so. Just put a cup under the tap.
How much is enough fluid? Hard to say. But if you have easy access to a bathroom, then it's pretty much impossible to drink TOO MUCH fluid. Your body will simply get rid of any excess in a very simple process, and no harm will be done. So, when in doubt, just drink up.

>>Heck, I've gotten a headache from the altitude in Denver once.<<

WhereAreWe, how did you know the headache was caused by Denver's altitude?

How did I know? Not sure what you want for a response - I didn't do a scientific study to determine the cause of it, but I'm quite sure it ws the altitude. I'm familiar enough with myself and have spent enough time at altitude to safely draw the conclusion it was the altitude.

If I have a 'headache' could I blame mine on being at sea level?#-O

After all you said you got one 'once'. Was that your one and only time in the Denver area or was it the only time you got a headache while in the Denver area?

It's easier to get dehydrated at a higher altitude, but that's not the same thing as actual altitude sickness. Both can cause headaches.

RedRock - As I said, I'm familiar enough with altitude, its effects on me and my own body to safely conclude my headache was caused by the altitude. I'm not going to go into great detail about how many times I've been at altitude, how high, etc. blah blah blah. If you don't wish to trust my conclusion, that is your choice.

I'd definitely recommend drinking enough water so that you need to find a restroom every three hours.
When we ski in the mountains, we try to drink at least a cup of water every hour. We also avoid caffeine and alcohol the first few days (because both are dehydrating), and take an aspirin every morning and every evening to improve oxygenation.

Altitude sickness varies tremendously by person. If you have ever smoked or have asthma or any sort of breathing problems it's much more likely to occur.

Agree to drink as much water as you can (at least 4 or 5 small bottles a day) and avoid caffeine and alcohol. Also, give you body a day or two to be acclimatized.

At 7,000 feet many people don;t notice much if sitting still or just strolling - but if you try to do anything active you may notice it right away.

Yes, some people get altitude sickness at 7,000 feet and some people never get it at any altitude and some people who never had it before can suddenly develop it and being in good shape-- or not-- does not determine if you get it. There is no doubt that dehydration is something to be avoided any time you travel.

The one definite aspect of it is that once you get it, it becomes worse on each additional exposure to high altitude.

>>The best hydration is provided by tap water. Don't be a sucker for the person who came up with the idea of putting tap water in 20 oz plastic bottles and charging you $1 for doing so. Just put a cup under the tap.<<

Unfortunately, there aren't many water fountains around Santa Fe. We carry a water bottle and refill it as needed.

Lee Ann

Drink lots of water and don't drink alcohol....I neglected that once and almost fainted.