• Climb all the way up to the Everest Base Camp that lies in Sagarmatha National Park, which is abundant in diverse flora fauna. Views of the highest mountain in the world - Mount Everest - promises to leave you spellbound.

• High Altitude Sickness is known as mountain sickness. If you walk or climb to a higher elevation, it appears very quickly so you have to know symptoms of high altitude sickness. If you are wondering why it happens, here are some information. It is from the air pressure. When you go to a higher elevation, this air pressure drops down and less oxygen so your body will need time to adjust to change the air pressure. According to doctors, it starts from 8,000 feet (2400 meter) if you are from sea level. 

Types: There are three types of altitude sickness

• Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS): it is very common and symptoms feel like tiredness, dizzy, headache, thirst, muscle aches, nausea 

• High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE): it is an effect in the lungs, which can be very dangerous and hard to do life-threatening

• High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE): it is an effect in the brain and most difficult to treat and you need to go hospital attention right way. 

Cause: Here are causes of high altitude sickness:

• You live at near sea level and travel to a high elevation 

• You have had the sickness before

• You climb quickly

• You have not acclimatized to the altitude

• If you are drink alcohol when you ascend 

• If you have medical problems of heart, nervous or lungs 

Symptoms

• These symptoms will appear depending on your speed to climb and how hard you push. Symptoms range from normal to serious. They can affect the nervous system, lungs, muscles, and heart.

Here are symptoms of High Altitude Sickness 

• Difficulty sleeping

• Dizziness 

• Fatigue

• Headache

• Loss of appetite

• Nausea or vomiting

• Rapid Pulse (Heart Rate)

• Short breath with action

• Blue colour of skin or grey soft skin 

• Chest tightness or blocking

• Confusion

• Dry cough or coughing with blood

• Cannot walk in a straight line 

Prevention: Important keys to preventing of High Altitude Sickness are:

• Climb the mountain gradually. 

• Stop every 2,000 feet (600 meters) of the climb above 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) and one or two nights sleep there.

• Sleep at a lower altitude when possible.

• Make sure that you have the ability to quickly descend if needed.

• Learn how to recognize early symptoms of mountain sickness.

• If you plan on climbing quickly or climbing to a high altitude, ask your provider about medicines that may help.

• If you are at risk for a low red blood cell count (anaemia), ask your provider if your planned trip is safe. Also, ask if an iron supplement is right for you. Anaemia lowers the amount of oxygen in your blood. This makes you more likely to have mountain sickness.

While climbing, you should know these things 

• Drink plenty of water

• Climb slowly.

• Take it easy

• Do not drink alcohol.

• Eat regular meals that are high in carbohydrates.

• Sleep lower elevation 

• Take a medication (diomax) according to doctor

Kathmandu, Nepal