Does altitude help or hinder sleep?

Because most of us aren’t used to living at high altitudes, arriving at these destinations can disrupt the body’s systems and lead to problems with sleep.

There’s not a lot of research around how altitude impacts sleep, but the reduced level of oxygen at high altitudes means that breathing often becomes difficult. The nausea, headaches, and dizziness this brings are symptoms of what is known as altitude sickness. It’s thought this oxygen deprivation also causes significant sleep fragmentation and a reduction in deeper, slow-wave restorative sleep.

When oxygen in the blood falls below a certain level as you sleep, the body experiences hypoxia: it starts to work harder to take in more oxygen and expel carbon dioxide by alternating between rapid and slow breathing. It’s when your breathing slows or even stops briefly that you wake up. These constant interruptions stop you from reaching the deeper stages of sleep needed to feel fully rested.

SLEEP WELL AT ALTITUDE

Specific treatments for sleep disorders at altitude are scarce, but the steps that help prevent altitude sickness can also improve sleep quality after a few days. Extra oxygen and taking a nitrate supplement, such as beet juice, may help. Some doctors prescribe acetazolamide and nonbenzodiazepine medications that reduce periodic breathing, which in turn helps improve sleep quality.

It’s essential at high altitudes to drink plenty of water during the day, eat a diet that’s high in carbohydrates (the most easily accessed form of energy for your body), and avoid tobacco and alcohol, both of which can make breathing more difficult.

Before traveling, ask your doctor for advice and look up local remedies for altitude sickness at your destination.

Sleeping at high elevation

Those who live more than 10,000 ft (3,000 m) above sea level are used to sleeping in their high-altitude homes. However, the vast majority of people live less than 5,200 ft (1,600 m) above sea level, and visiting high regions can affect sleep.

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