Less oxygen is available at higher altitudes.
Your blood transports oxygen to areas of your body through hemoglobin molecules. Certain environmental and physiological factors, such as high altitude or smoking cigarettes, affect how much oxygen is being circulated at any given time. Oxygen saturation is simply the amount of oxygen that your blood is carrying compared to how much it could actually carry, represented as a percentage. At higher altitudes, oxygen saturation decreases, because you simply do not get as much oxygen.
Initial Effects
When you visit higher altitudes, your body makes physiological adaptations to having less oxygen available, meaning decreased oxygen saturation. According to Daniel D. Arnheim and William E. Prentice, the authors of "Principles of Athletic Training," these changes include more hemoglobin molecules in blood, faster breathing, more heart pumping and more alkalinity in the blood. You may feel lightheaded, dizzy and tired. Athletes may experience inhibited performance and fatigue when exercising.
Acclimitization
If you live at high altitudes for several months, your body will continue to experience effects as it acclimates to the decreased oxygen . These may include glucose conservation, an increase in hemoglobin molecules and greater mitochondria, which supply cellular energy, You may suffer from sleep problems, hyperventilation and increased blood pressure. Over time, these symptoms will subside as you get used to the oxygen deprivation.
Long-Term Effects
If you were born in high-altitude areas or have lived there for many years, you might experience long-term effects from the decreased oxygen saturation. These include an increase in capillaries for blood transportation, more red blood cells, larger lungs and a more vast chest capacity. However, you will probably not experience high-altitude symptoms unless you're attempting extreme exercise or if your health is impaired.
Altitude Illness
Oxygen deprivation at higher altitudes can result in abnormal effects that range from mild to life-threatening. According to "Principles of Athletic Training," one in three people will feel mild altitude illness symptoms when travelling to moderate (7,000 feet) or high (10,000 feet or more) altitudes. These more serious symptoms occur during abrupt ascents. Symptoms usually subside when you descend. Some symptoms of altitude illness are insomnia, nausea and headaches. More severe effects include pulmonary edema, which is fluid in the lung tissue; elevated blood pressure levels; breathing difficulties; cognitive malfunctioning; and, in some cases, an enlarged spleen.
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