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6 Factors That Contribute To Sleeplessness In High Altitudes

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<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Around a quarter of all people who rise 2000 feet above sea level will suffer altitude insomnia&period; This condition sees people suffering sleepless nights within a week of being exposed to high altitudes&period; It&&num;8217&semi;s commonly experienced by pilots&comma; flight attendants&comma; and air travelers&comma; although mountain climbers can also suffer after a major climb&period; Read on to discover some of the key factors that hinder sleep in altitude insomniacs&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><strong>Difficulty Breathing Disturbs Sleep<&sol;strong><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">As you ascend&comma; there&&num;8217&semi;s lower pressure in the air around you&period; At high altitudes&comma; the air contains less of its gases in any given volume&comma; including oxygen&period; With fewer oxygen molecules in the atmosphere&comma; you&&num;8217&semi;ll find yourself breathing faster and deeper to take in what your body needs&period; Breathing problems often increase at night&comma; when you&&num;8217&semi;re attempting to sleep&comma; due to changes in oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the air&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">If you do drift off&comma; a condition called central sleep apnea can occur&period; As you breathe rapidly&comma; you dispel more carbon dioxide&period; As your carbon dioxide level drops&comma; your brain believes there&&num;8217&semi;s no reason to breathe&period; When you stop breathing&comma; your carbon dioxide level rises and the cycle begins again&period; The phenomenon&comma; which results in fragmented sleep&comma; is similar to traditional sleep apnea&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Your breathing problems are likely to settle after a few days&comma; but for a while this deep&comma; rapid breathing can be unsettling&period; Until your breathing returns to normal&comma; you may find peaceful sleep eludes you&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><strong>Dehydration Causes a Host of Sleeping Problems<&sol;strong><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;"aligncenter size-Correct wp-image-12346" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;medusamagazine&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2014&sol;01&sol;6-Factors-That-Contribute-To-Sleeplessness-In-High-Altitudes-600x412&period;jpg" alt&equals;"6 Factors That Contribute To Sleeplessness In High Altitudes" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"412" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">When you breathe more rapidly&comma; water is lost through the lungs&period; Unless you replace it through more regular drinking&comma; you may suffer from dehydration&period; This condition can interrupt your sleep in a variety of ways&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">When you&&num;8217&semi;re dehydrated&comma; your skin and eyes can become dry&comma; sore&comma; and itchy&period; The membranes around your brain can also dry out and cause headaches&period; Dehydration can also deplete your body of the melatonin it needs for restful sleep&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><strong>Loss of Appetite Affects Slumber<&sol;strong><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Many people experience a loss of appetite when they move to cities with higher altitudes&comma; like Denver&period; Giving in to this urge can make it difficult to nod off to sleep&period; A light meal before bed&comma; particularly one containing carbohydrates and tryptophan&comma; can calm your brain and promote peaceful sleep&period; Going to bed hungry can also make you feel restless&period; You may not feel famished&comma; but it&&num;8217&semi;s worth eating a simple meal before bedtime&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><strong>Getting Gassy Can Interrupt Your Sleep&comma; and Others<&sol;strong><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;"aligncenter size-Correct wp-image-12347" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;medusamagazine&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2014&sol;01&sol;6-Factors-That-Contribute-To-Sleeplessness-In-High-Altitudes1-600x400&period;jpg" alt&equals;"6 Factors That Contribute To Sleeplessness In High Altitudes" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"400" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">As you make your ascent&comma; the barometric pressure around you decreases&period; This causes the gases in your bowel to expand&period; More gas in your bowel can result in pains in your abdomen and unpleasant odors as it&&num;8217&semi;s eventually expelled&period; It&&num;8217&semi;s a fairly minor but unpleasant side effect which can temporarily interrupt your sleep and the slumber of your unlucky travel companions&excl;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><strong>Headaches Stop Slumber<&sol;strong><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Headaches are the most common neurological symptom experienced by people at altitudes greater than 2500 to 3000 meters above sea level&period; The likelihood of contracting a sleep-inhibiting headache increases the higher you go&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Most high-altitude headaches are characterized by a bilateral&comma; generalized&comma; dull pressure sensation which some have likened to the one experienced during a hangover&period; Anyone that&&num;8217&semi;s attempted to sleep through a hangover will get some idea of how easily a high-altitude headache can bring on insomnia&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><strong>Altitude Sickness Can Be Fatal<&sol;strong><&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Sometimes the mild discomfort you feel at high altitudes can become a medical problem known as altitude sickness&period; A headache alone is characterized as mild altitude sickness&comma; but when it’s accompanied by other symptoms including diarrhea&comma; vomiting&comma; and nausea&comma; the condition may be classed as moderate or severe altitude sickness&period; All of these symptoms can interrupt your sleep&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">In some cases&comma; altitude sickness can become a life-threatening problem&period; This occurs when fluid fills the lungs&comma; known as high-altitude pulmonary oedema&comma; and when fluid floods the brain&comma; a condition called high-altitude cerebral oedema&period; Both conditions often occur simultaneously&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">If you feel very unwell&comma; it&&num;8217&semi;s important to seek help&period; Whether you are looking in your local doctor directory on Zocdoc&period;com  or further away for some medical help in Nepal&comma; credible websites can point you in the right direction&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">In most instances&comma; the symptoms of altitude insomnia will subside once you acclimatize&comma; but in rare cases they can be much worse than a few sleepless nights&period; If you&&num;8217&semi;re concerned&comma; make sure you seek medical attention&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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