One
reason Nevada is such a spectacular state is because of the environmental
variety that is housed within its 110,567 square miles. Recognized as the Most Mountainous State,
Nevada boasts 314 named mountain ranges and at least 100 more nameless desert
cutting mounds. With all that elevation
change comes amazing flora and fauna (plant and animal) diversity and views
that are legendary and vary depending on where you stand. Elevation changes also mean variations in the
availability of oxygen.
Interestingly
however, despite all those mountain ranges, where people live in Nevada is
predominately on a plateau (level high ground) with an average elevation of
between 5,000 and 6,000 feet in the eastern part of the state. Those of us who are residents do not think
much of this elevation, but those who come to visit our spectacular mountain
ranges may not feel the same when they reach our plateau. The oxygen difference between sea level and
our local elevation may be enough to make your most jovial family member feel a
bit sluggish and ill.
Oxygen
is a gas that is found in the Earth’s atmosphere and is critical for
humans. Why? Because oxygen is what allows each and every
one of the 37 trillion cells in a human body to generate energy through a
process called cellular respiration.
Without the energy produced through cellular respiration, life here on
earth stops. There are a lot of factors,
such as age, sex, weight, physical fitness level, and activity level, that
affect how much oxygen a particular body needs.
When a human does not get enough oxygen, energy production is impacted
and that feels like fatigue, poor concentration, confusion, and fainting.
Being
aware of the difference in elevation is important, because while you are out
exploring the natural world, you may encounter visitors who are experiencing
physical effects of our elevation and not understand why. For example, it is not unusual while hiking
in Lamoille Canyon to Island Lake to come upon a couple huffing and puffing and
complaining of light headedness, only to learn that they are from Maryland
(state average 350 feet elevation) and flew in yesterday. It is also important to realize that as a
local, you are not necessarily immune the effect of decreased oxygen. For example, when you are climbing a mountain
at a taxing pace you may also exhibit similar symptoms.
Human
bodies are highly adaptable and giving a body some time to acclimate to
increasing elevation is a good idea. Acclimation
usually takes about 48 – 72 hours, and during that time there are some things we
can do to help our low-lander friends adapt.
Encourage naps and a good night’s rest.
Sleep is when our bodies do a lot of work, like making new red blood
cells and removing toxins. Encourage
visitors to drink plenty of fluids, in particular water, to help aid the
molecular processes occurring for adaptation.
Encourage healthy meals with low salt and the avoidance of alcohol. Salt and alcohol tend to dehydrate the body
which will only slow down any acclimation efforts. Finally, give them permission to be gentle on
themselves. They may be marathon
champions back in Maryland, but here they need to slow it down and take on
physical exertion slower than usual.
Rest frequently.
Happy Trails!