How to Relieve the Discomfort Caused by Altitude Sickness

Altitude sickness is an inevitable topic while talking about a Tibet tour. This article will give suggestions to how to relieve the discomfort caused by altitude sickness during a journey to Tibet.

How is altitude sickness diagnosed?

Symptoms of altitude sickness include: dizziness, fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, persistent headache, loss of appetite, sleep problems, loss of energy, nausea and vomiting, inability to walk, confusion and fluid buildup in the lungs and/or brain, bluish skin tone, etc.

When two or more than two of the above symptoms occur, altitude sickness should be considered. Then you need to pay careful attention to your body at this time. Try to take more rest and slow down your pace to gradually adapt to the plateau environment and climate. You should also contact your tour guide as soon as possible. Our tour guides have all participated in professional training, and they know how to deal with such situation well.Therefore, they will be much helpful in relieving your altitude sickness, so that you can adapt to the life in Tibet quickly.

How to relieve altitude sickness while taking the trains to Tibet ?

Although you won’t subject to an abrupt altitude change if you go to Tibet by trains, you might still suffer from altitude sickness when the trains run through the Tanggula Railway Station, the altitude of which is 5,076 meters.

As there is no tour guide on the trains, you should follow the suggestions below when altitude sickness appears:

• 1. Don’t be scared or nervous, and try to calm yourself down. Tell your friends as soon as possible when you don’t feel well.
• 2. Take more rest. Rest in bed if you are in a sleeper compartment. You should still close your eyes when you can’t fall asleep, so that you can attain mental composure.
• 3. Drink more warm water. The air on plateaus is very dry, and drinking more water can be much helpful to relieve your discomfort. Hot water is provided on the trains, so you can get the water with your own cup.
• 4. There are facilities that can diffuse oxygen on each train to Tibet. Independent outlets of oxygen can also be found on each bunk of sleeper compartment. You can ask the train staff for a tube to inhale oxygen from the outlet when you don’t feel well.
• 5. Tell your situation and your feeling to the tour guide when you meet him/her, then he/she will offer help according to what you have said.

How to relieve altitude sickness in Lhasa?

Generally speaking, altitude sickness will often appear within 12 hours after you arrive at Lhasa, so you will mostly feel discomfort in the first evening in Lhasa. Therefore, we won’t arrange any activities on the first day, so that you can have enough time to rest and adjust yourself to the environment. Sufficient rest and sleep is of great importance to a tour in Tibet.

A few suggestions to the first day in Lhasa:

• 1.Take more rest and do less activities. Don’t be over excited and wonder around the city right after you arrive at Lhasa. What you should do is to have a good meal and then take a good rest.
• 2. Drink more water and eat more fruit to replenish water for your body.
• 3.Don’t take a shower on the first day in Lhasa.

How to relieve altitude sickness while taking the tour bus ?

We will generally arrange for tourists to visit the attractions in Lhasa on the first four days, during which you can gradually adapt to the climate in Tibet, and altitude sickness will go away as well. Then the next journey is to visit the attractions outside Lhasa and attractions in other cities.

The attractions in Tibet are far away from each other, so it takes long time to get to one attraction to another. However, you will possibly get altitude sickness again because of the long time of taking the tour bus. According to our experience, when you feel uncomfortable on the bus, you should drink more water and take more rest to save energy for the next journey.

How to relieve altitude sickness in high-altitude locations in the daytime ?

Generally speaking, your altitude sickness can get great relief after a good rest in Lhasa. And it won’t become too severe even when you go to higher locations.

If your altitude sickness that appears when you are travelling in higher locations is less serious than in Lhasa, you only need to take a good rest and then you will become better soon. You can inhale oxygen or ask the tour guide for some medicine when the situation is more serious.

How to relieve altitude sickness in higher locations in the evenings ?

You will usually reach EBC on the 5th day after you arrive at Lhasa. 5 days is enough for most tourists to adapt to the plateau environment. Although there is an elevation increase along the journey from Lhasa to EBC, altitude sickness won’t appear again very quickly, as the altitude won’t increase dramatically but slowly.

You would easily get altitude sickness again if you stay overnight in high locations. While staying in the places for accommodation, you should do as less activities as possible and keep paying attention to your health conditions all the time.

Altitude sickness will gradually go away as you leave for low-altitude places from high-altitude places.

To prevent getting altitude sickness, you can start your Tibet tour from Nyingchi.

Starting your Tibet tour from Nyingchi is one of the most effective ways to prevent altitude sickness, as it is the lowest areas in Tibet, with an average altitude of 3,000 meters. And the altitude of Nyingchi Mainling Airport is only 2,900 meters.

The tourism in Nyingchi has developed a lot in recent years. It is a wonderful tourist resort, as you can see beautiful scenery and get excellent service here.

It takes longer time to go to Lhasa and Shigatse from Nyingchi, so you can get enough time to adapt to the climate and environment in Tibet. In this case, you will have less chance to get altitude sickness if you go to other Tibetan cities from Nyingchi.