Dehydration Good at High Altitudes?

The conventional wisdom says as you ascend in altitude, you get more dehydrated, and you should drink more water / electrolytes to prevent mountain sickness.

Peter Hackett, a well known researcher in the field of altitude sickness, suggests in this interview that you actually want to be dehydrated at altitude.

  There's evidence that the people who do best at altitude are dehydrated. That is the body resets the serum of molality level which has to do with the water balance. And the body, for some reason, prefers to be dry at high altitude. My own thinking is that this is good for the body because it keeps the brain a little bit drier and softer. So that if it does start to accumulate a little water or get a little swelling, it can be tolerated better.

Wow. Conventional wisdom that hikers / climbers digest elsewhere may need to be altered. I suppose it's time to read up more on this issue. Maybe I've been drinking too much water in the Sierra!

Hyperventilation - Does it do any good?

There has been some disagreement that hyperventilating helps absorb more oxygen into the blood when at high altitudes.

Does it?

Yes

Here's why

Understanding Altitude Sickness

I originally posted this on the socalhikes blog but this is a more appropriate home for it.


Background: You want to hike Mt. Whitney (~ 14,500 ft), the tallest peak in the contiguous United States. Or you may want to ascend other high peaks in the Sierras, or elsewhere.

Perception: This is the hardest hike you will do, therefore you need to train for it. I have heard this many times.

Reality: The hike certainly is a biggie (~ 22 - 24 miles, 6500 ft gain), but there are many other hikes that have more stringent cardiovascular conditioning demands. In fact, the main trail up to Mt. Whitney is not very steep.

What makes Mt. Whitney difficult is the altitude and the low pressure of oxygen.

Problem: Cardiovascular training does not improve a person's ability to handle low altitude, so how else can we adapt?