How to Deal With Acute Mountain Sickness In Ladakh Leh Travel Guide
How to Deal With Acute Mountain Sickness In Ladakh Leh Travel Guide
A trip to Ladakh is often categorized as an adventure because of the challenges it presents. Apart from the wonderful vistas that you get to see; there is also the excitement of driving through inhospitable terrains and dangerous roads. There are several things that you must prepare yourself for before planning a trip here; of which one of the most important topics is of acute mountain sickness Ladakh. A trip here will take you to heights that you probably have never been to; be part of an atmosphere that you have never been in before. The overall change in the climate; the sudden gain in altitude; the low oxygen levels can sometimes cause our body to experience what is commonly known as altitude sickness. In this article, I will share a few tips on how you can better prepare yourself for AMS in Ladakh to better enjoy your trip.
Acute Mountain Sickness Ladakh
Depending on the symptoms, Altitude sickness can be of three types.
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS): AMS is the mildest, most common type of altitude sickness. caused by reduced air pressure and lower oxygen levels. Symptoms include difficulty in sleeping, dizziness, fatigue, headache, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, rapid heart rate, and shortness of breath. High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE): HAPE is a more serious condition of altitude sickness, symptoms include shortness of breath (even while resting), persistent coughing, exercise intolerance, coughing up pink, frothy spit (indication of fluid in the lungs). High-Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE): HACE, another and even more serious condition of altitude sickness, causes difficulty when walking, severe lethargy and a loss of focus. HACE and HAPE are rare and if not treated on time can be even fatal.
Cause of Mountain Sickness in Ladakh
Acute Mountain Sickness is a direct result of exposure to lower percentage of oxygen at high altitudes. As altitude increases, level of Oxygen present in the air starts to get lower. In order to accommodate for low oxygen per breath, our body increases the breathing rate and this is the reason why we start to huff and puff so easily in mountains. The process of a human body getting accustomed to low oxygen and adapting to the new environment is called acclimatization. When there is ample time for this process and our body is not undergoing a stress, there will not be any symptoms at all. However, as it happens in case of a trip to Ladakh, the gain in altitude continues to happen over a period of 3-4 days and at a faster rate than our bodies can adapt to. This is what leads to altitude sickness in Ladakh.
Symptoms of AMS in Ladakh
While AMS falls under the category of nonspecific symptoms, in most cases they are the same of that of high fever. Your body temperature will suddenly rise followed by severe headache, chest pain, vomiting, lack of sleep, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite and difficulty in breathing. Most people will suffer AMS when the increase in altitude is in a matter of a few hours or a day; but some people may suffer it for first few days even if the process is gradual. At what height a person will suffer from mountain sickness; and for how long differs for every individual. But it is safe to assume that if you have never been to a high altitude place like Ladakh; you are bound to feel a few symptoms of AMS in first few days.
These symptoms, ranging from mild to life-threatening, will also depend on the speed of your climb and how hard you exert yourself. If mild then they will gradually subside after a couple of days at high altitude but sometimes it can even lead to high altitude pulmonary edema, which is the worst condition of AMS and can be fatal. Some of the severe symptoms, affecting nervous system, lungs, muscles, and heart are blue color to the skin, gray or pale complexion, chest tightness or congestion, confusion, coughing up blood, decreased consciousness, withdrawal from social interaction, shortness of breath even while resting or unable to walk at all. Severe cases may result in death due to lung problems or brain swelling, called cerebral edema.
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