Your Body at 7,000 Feet

Although many people come to train in Flagstaff’s elevation for the very reason that it is more demanding of their body, many more people are surprised that their first days in Flagstaff can make them feel tired, out of breath, or challenged in unexpected ways. The combination of altitude, low humidity, and sometimes HEAT can take many people off guard. Even when people think to drink more water, they still run into problems of poor endurance, poor sleep, slower recovery, cramping, dizziness, and more. In fact, drinking more water without more salt and other electrolytes has been one of the biggest problems I have seen that could be prevented. Around here, salty snacks are considered medicine for many.

What altitude sickness actually looks like

Acute mountain sickness usually starts with a headache, often with fatigue, nausea, poor appetite, or dizziness. It is common, and it usually comes early and passes.

• About 1 in 4 visitors to Colorado resort towns at 6,300–9,700 feet developed it — and 65% of those cases began within the first 12 hours.
• At about 6,500 feet, 90% of symptoms showed up within the first three days.
• Height matters. Among hikers in the Alps it affected about 7% at 7,200 feet, 17% at 9,200 feet, and 38% at 11,500 feet — so a day at the top of Snowbowl or on Humphreys is a bigger ask than a day downtown.
• More likely if you live below 3,000 feet (3.5× the odds), you’ve had altitude sickness before (2.8×), or — surprisingly — you are under 60 (about 2×).

Your breath and your workout

Aerobic capacity drops about 6% for every 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) of elevation, and endurance at a hard pace drops even more. The run or climb that is easy at home really is harder here — that is physiology, not fitness. The body adapts: older adults tested at about 8,200 feet lost 12% of their exercise capacity on arrival and were back to normal within five days. Go easier for the first few days.

Sleep

Lighter, more broken sleep is common for the first night or two. In one study at about 8,500 feet, pauses in breathing during sleep roughly tripled on the first night and eased on the second. For most people it settles as the body adapts. Give yourself those first nights, and plan the big day for later in the trip.

Water, salt, and electrolytes

Dry mountain air and harder breathing pull more water out of you — but water alone is not the answer. Drinking extra water has not been shown to prevent altitude sickness, and too much water without salt carries its own danger: in the Grand Canyon, 19% of heat-illness calls handled by park rangers were suspected low blood sodium, and hikers with symptomatic low sodium appeared to have been drinking too much.

And thirst is not a reliable guide for everyone. Many people — older adults and menopausal women among them — have weaker thirst signals and simply don’t drink enough. Aging women keep their thirst response to concentrated blood, but lose some of their thirst response to a drop in body fluid volume, so they may replenish fluids more slowly.

Women, hormones, and the high desert

Another underreported fact: women going through hormonal changes and menopause can be extra sensitive to water and electrolyte imbalances — not just sodium chloride, but potassium and magnesium too. Even calcium can get involved. When estrogen and progesterone drop, there can be a disruption of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), which helps the kidneys balance water and minerals. Changes in the cellular pumping of sodium and potassium across membranes, the vasomotor changes that lead to hot flashes and increased sweating, and the kidney function changes can all create more susceptibility to our high desert challenges. This can lead to more fatigue, brain fog, cramping, swelling, and dizziness.

Rest, hydration, and electrolyte-mineral replacement through food and supplements can help ease, if not completely solve, some of the symptoms. Time and rest help adaptation as well. The balance can be tricky, and finding the right amount of the right minerals — and not too much — is the art of this kind of support.

How much of each mineral to take should often be individualized. The problem is generally too little water, salt, magnesium, or potassium — but taking too much can cause other problems, too. If you have cardiovascular, lung, or kidney disease, to name a few, or take blood-pressure medication, talk with your provider about what is right for you.

Sun

Ultraviolet light gets stronger as you climb — UVA rises roughly 8–9% per 1,000 meters, and snow can multiply the UV reaching your eyes many times over. Wear a hat and sunglasses and use a mineral sunscreen, even on cool days.

Recovery — and where we come in

Miles at altitude land in the calves, feet, knees, hips, and back. We specialize in the aches and pains of runners, hikers, and skiers: clinical and therapeutic massage, reflexology Foot Journeys, and hot and cold contrast therapy.

Where to find what you need

— Dr. Sara Hazel