High Altitude

Using Oxygen Concentrators at High Altitudes
The higher you go above sea level, the air gets thinner and less oxygen is available for you to breathe. Mountain climbers know this, and they take oxygen equipment with them when they are climbing to altitudes near 5,000 feet, Hypoxic zone (low oxygen area). When we don’t get enough oxygen, especially when our bodies are being pushed to the limit, we can fall ill. Fish needs certain amount of oxygen in the water to breathe. In a fish tank, they depend on the air pump to bring in the oxygen, since they are living in a small space. If the air pump breaks, the amount of oxygen in the tank depletes and the fish will die.

What is Altitude Sickness?
If you have lived at sea level or in areas that are flat and non-mountainous, you will have a hard time adjusting to much higher altitudes. Altitude Sickness is caused by lack of oxygen in the air and lowered air pressure at higher altitudes. This is even harder for people with certain medical conditions, or people who have a lung disease who already have a difficult time breathing. If you make your way up to higher altitudes very slowly, your body will have time to adjust.

If you ascend very quickly, you can get Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). The symptoms of AMS include nausea and vomiting, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, headache and dizziness. When the condition is severe, you can see a bluish color on the skin (cyanosis), confusion, dizziness and coughing up blood. If someone with these symptoms isn’t treated quickly, AMS can result in death from the fluid that has built up in the lungs.

Why You Should Have a Portable Oxygen Concentrator
Oxygen concentrators are much more convenient because they don’t require oxygen tanks. If you are traveling and visiting high altitudes, you won’t want to have to carry a bunch of oxygen tanks with you, and worry about continuously changing them out when they are empty. An oxygen concentrator will also save you money in the long run because you won’t have to refill any tanks. They work by filtering pure oxygen from the air around it, so that you can breathe it in. You will need a prescription from your doctor before ordering your oxygen concentrator.

A portable oxygen concentrator is lightweight and can be worn in a pack on your back, so it will be perfect for taking with you while you travel in higher altitudes or do some climbing. Portable oxygen concentrators are made to keep working just as well at 13,000 or more, as they do at sea level. For this reason, they are also great for airline travel.