60 Altitude Sickness

Mountain climbing is becoming a popular sport, but it is also a potentially dangerous one. People can fall; they may also become ill from drinking bad water. One of the most common dangers to climbers is altitude sickness, an ailment that can affect even very experienced climbers.

Altitude sickness usually begins when a climber goes above 8,000 or 9,000 feet. The higher one climbs, the less oxygen there is in the air. When people don’t get enough oxygen, they often begin to gasp for air. They may also feel dizzy and light-headed. Besides these common symptoms of altitude sickness, others such as nausea, headache, tiredness, and difficulty sleeping may also occur. At heights of over 18,000 feet, people may be climbing in a constant daze. This state of mind can have a serious effect on their judgment.

A few precautions can help most climbers avoid altitude sickness. The first is not to go too high too fast. If you climb to 10,000 feet, stay at that height for a day or two. Your body needs to get used to a high altitude before you climb to an even higher one. Or if you do climb higher sooner, come back down to a lower height when you sleep. Also, drink plenty of liquids and avoid tobacco and alcohol. When you reach your top height, do light activities rather than sleep too much. You breathe less when you sleep, so you get less oxygen.

The most important warning is this: if you have severe symptoms and they don’t go away, go down! Don’t risk injury or death because of overconfidence or lack of knowledge.

登山正成为一项流行的运动，但它也具有潜在的危险性。人们可能会摔倒；也可能因饮用不干净的水而生病。对登山者来说，最常见的危险之一是高原反应——这种疾病甚至会影响经验非常丰富的登山者。

高原反应通常在登山者到达8000或9000英尺以上时开始出现。攀登的高度越高，空气中的氧气就越少。当人们得不到足够的氧气时，往往会开始大口喘气，还可能感到头晕目眩。除了这些高原反应的常见症状外，还可能出现恶心、头痛、疲倦和失眠等其他症状。在18000英尺以上的高度，人们可能会在持续的恍惚状态下攀登，这种精神状态会严重影响他们的判断。

一些预防措施可以帮助大多数登山者避免高原反应。首先是不要上升得太快太高。如果你爬到了10000英尺，在这个高度停留一两天。你的身体需要先适应高海拔，再攀登到更高的地方。或者，如果你提前爬得更高，睡觉的时候回到较低的高度。另外，要多喝水，避免吸烟和饮酒。当你到达最高高度时，做些轻松的活动，不要睡太多——睡觉的时候呼吸会变慢，获取的氧气也会更少。

最重要的警告是：如果你出现严重症状且没有缓解，立刻下山！不要因为过度自信或缺乏知识而冒着受伤或死亡的风险。