Acute Mountain Sickness in Spiti Valley is a common thing among travelers. It can affect anyone, regardless of fitness level, with attitudes ranging from 10,000 feet to 15,000 feet - many experience acute mountain sickness in Spiti Valley.
Especially when you ascend too quickly, like traveling via the Manali-Kaza route, symptoms often include headache, nausea, breathlessness, and fatigue. To avoid altitude sickness in Spiti, it is best to ascend gradually (preferably via Shimla), stay hydrated, rest well, and avoid alcohol.
So, let us help you know more about acute mountain sickness in Spiti Valley - who’s most at risk, early warning signs, and simple steps to stay safe at high altitudes. It is important to research before you plan your Spiti Valley tour!
What is Altitude Sickness?
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In layman’s language, Altitude Sickness is physical distress from difficulty experienced by someone while adjusting to lower oxygen pressure at high altitude. Altitude sickness doesn’t usually doesn’t happen until 2500 ft. and as Spiti Valley height of 12,500 ft., so it’s a common problem suffered by a lot of people going up there. It’s not like altitude sickness hits off to everyone going up there. For people living in places already at a high altitude, getting to Spiti won’t be much of a problem. It’s the sudden increase in altitude that starts this sickness.So, for anyone staying in plain areas, this is a common problem.
We could divide this altitude sickness into 3 different parts i.e., Acute Mountain Sickness in Spiti Valley (AMS), High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) and High-Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE).
AMS is the most common type of altitude sickness, caused by reduced air pressure and lower oxygen level in Spiti Valley.
HAPE is a slightly more serious condition of altitude sickness as it includes shortness of breath, and continuous coughing and may affect your lungs. HACE is an even more serious condition of altitude sickness as it affects even walking through simple paths, breathing even during rest, excessive dizziness and even fainting of the person. HAPE and HACE are considered to get fatal if not given proper treatment on time.It depends upon how quickly and efficiently your body can handle the change in your surrounding environment.