How can I safely experience hypoxia?

[ntrprnr 0]

Hey gang...

So because of a relatively high blog/twitter/facebook audience, I sometimes get invited to do interesting things, try new things, explore new things, etc... Got invited to do the Gatorade Fitness Challenge (got my ass kicked beyond belief) and other fun things. I'm climbing Pico de Orizaba in February, sponsored by Eddie Bauer's outdoor line...

Anyhow, I think it might make an interesting post to have a first-hand description of what it's like to go hypoxic. Obviously, I'd like to do this in a controlled environment, the safest way possible, but really show what happens - how all of a sudden, basic counting of numbers becomes hard, etc. Would make for some interesting video, to say the least.

Might anyone here know of any places in the US that this could take place for a regular civilian?

Much appreciated. :)

-Peter

Are there

_______________
"Why'd you track away at 7,000 feet?"
"Even in freefall, I have commitment issues."

[piisfish 135]

take a plane to 20'000ft, don't pump on the oxygen, have an O2 mask available (plus medical staff just in case) and a videoman

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[wildcard451 0]

Check this out Peter.

http://www.clearblueyonder.com/docs/PhysologicalTng_06272005_web.pdf

Should be able to get in for a chamber ride.

[PhreeZone 15]

Chamber rides are the best way. It is simple to get the Class 3 physical needed to go for the trip (take it for a student license or for a tandem instructor course).

There has been a group of jumpers locally talking about getting a chamber ride so we can be cleared for jumps up to 30k

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[beowulf 1]

The military has some chambers they use for hypoxia training in Oklahoma City? and in Houston. I know they do allow civilians to participate in their trainings. I don't know the specifics on the training but it shouldn't be that hard to google.

[davelepka 4]

What you do is get a hooker up on top of you in the cowgirl position. Lay on the edge of the bed so your head is hanging off the side just slightly, and have her choke you out. Instant hypoxia.

Use condoms for safety.

[wildcard451 0]

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What you do is get a hooker up on top of you in the cowgirl position. Lay on the edge of the bed so your head is hanging off the side just slightly, and have her choke you out. Instant hypoxia.

Use condoms for safety.

I like this option better than my original post.

[jonstark 8]

Taking a "chamber ride" has NOTHING at all to do with your reaction to altitude in the mountains. It is too short lived and over before your long term reaction to altitude can be assessed. It doesn't take into account any acclimatization. It won't spend the time it takes to hike up to altitude at any altitudes you will encounter. There is no physical exertion.

Hypoxic in the mountains is nothing like in an airplane. Sure they can both cause headaches, lethargy, loss of visual acuity and color blindness and both are insidious but full on mountain sickness is more deadly (assuming you're not the pilot).

For you to assess YOUR reaction to altitude you have to get high. You need to spend some time in the mountains. Climbing anything over 10,000 feet from your sea level sofa the day before is asking for a miserable trip.

Barring your getting real experience at altitude the best prep you can get is aerobic exercise. Physical stamina translates into speed on the mountain which can save your ass. Learn how to best acclimatize while approaching the mountain. Hydrate or die. Sleep. Aspirin. Garlic. Your expedition may even have a medic with Diamox or the likes. I'm sure they will brief you on the symptoms of "altitude sickness" which vary greatly.

jon

[RMK 3]

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Taking a "chamber ride" has NOTHING at all to do with your reaction to altitude in the mountains.

Jon is correct re longer duration high altitude being very different. Being in better shape is always beneficial, but the hereditary element also counts –some people are just better suited to high altitude regardless of shape. A friend of mine did Mount Kilimanjaro w/ his wife (approx. 20K); they both made the summit, but a much fitter NCAA athlete in their group succumbed to altitude sickness and had to turn around.

1. Not smoking will automatically put you 2-3k physiologically lower than someone who smokes regularly

2. Some health clubs (admittedly nicer ones) have hypobaric workout rooms. A kind of airtight glass box affair with a couple machines like treadmills/cycles. Still not ideal, but after an hour inside you can at least compare how you fare compared to others.

"Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

[riggerrob 558]

All you need is a 10,000 foot high (above sea level) mountain and a vigorous pace ... to experience hypoxia.
Colorado, Washington, Oregon, California, Wyoming, etc.

[tdog 0]

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2. Some health clubs (admittedly nicer ones) have hypobaric workout rooms.

Do you have links to any clubs that have such a room? I was curious so I started googling different searches and did not find any hits other than in medical research.

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

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For you to assess YOUR reaction to altitude you have to get high.

Go on....

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[jonstark 8]

so ya liked that little play on words. I'm so pleased

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

Out of curiosity...could the same effect not be reproduced by breathing into a bag with maybe a tiny inlet to let a controlled amount of oxygen in?

Or how about getting a large airtight box, hook up your old hoover from the garage, grab you alti, hop inside....and wait. I'm not sure a vacuum would accomplish the same effect as hypoxia, but for some reason I'm thinking altitude = vacuum. Regardless, you'd eventually run out of oxygen in the box and mission would be accomplished.

Oh...and just found this, they make units for your home, business etc..: http://www.hypoxico.com/

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[IanHarrop 37]

http://www.iflyamerica.org/hypoxia2.asp

"Among other things, the $50 course features classroom instruction on basic physiology, hypoxia, decompression sickness, gas expansion, hyperventilation, and related topics; a demonstration of spatial disorientation; and a closely supervised session in a steel altitude chamber about the size of a family trailer."

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

[billvon 2,400]

>Out of curiosity...could the same effect not be reproduced by breathing into a bag with
>maybe a tiny inlet to let a controlled amount of oxygen in?

Not really; CO2 builds up fast and CO2 is the primary respiratory drive. You'll start panting and feeling short of breath before O2 becomes an issue. You'd have to breathe into a scrubber to get rid of CO2 for your experiment to work. (And if you did that and _then_ trickled oxygen in you'd effectively have a closed circuit rebreather.)

For an alternative method, mixing equal levels of nitrogen and air would give you the equivalent of about 18,000 feet, and I've seen some 'training tents' that use this principle. Of course it's easy to kill yourself doing this, since getting hypoxic and passing out while breathing pure nitrogen can easily be fatal.

>I'm not sure a vacuum would accomplish the same effect as hypoxia

That's what chambers use; it's the most accurate way to simulate altitude.

[cpoxon 0]

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2. Some health clubs (admittedly nicer ones) have hypobaric workout rooms.

Do you have links to any clubs that have such a room? I was curious so I started googling different searches and did not find any hits other than in medical research.

Like this http://www.altitudecentre.com

Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live

[RMK 3]

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2. Some health clubs (admittedly nicer ones) have hypobaric workout rooms.

Do you have links to any clubs that have such a room? I was curious so I started googling different searches and did not find any hits other than in medical research.

The last one I saw was at the Club at County Hall (south side of Thames across from Houses of Parliament - it's the top floors of the building behind the London Eye). Previously saw similar at Cannons City Club, but that was several years back.

"Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

[Staso 0]

i went here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Col - plenty of hypoxia . i was hypoxic probably for a week

--
it's not about defying gravity; it's how hard you can abuse it. speed skydiving it is ...
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[kalaniwavo 0]

suck on a can of whip cream and then practice your EP's. the effects are pretty much in line with hypoxia

[Marinus 0]

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suck on a can of whip cream and then practice your EP's. the effects are pretty much in line with hypoxia

I'm terribly sorry (not) but this is just stupid advice. A can of whipped cream contains Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) and while it gets you high, it has little to do with hypoxia. If you inhale N2O until the point you are starting to get really hypoxic, (and you won't get there from sucking the N2O from one can of whipped cream), you really want an anaesthetist to guide the process.

Yeah, I'm a noob and shit, but I know this isn't even a good way to "do" laughing gas, (don't ask, wild adolescence, but nowadays I'm boring and stuff) let alone alone simulate hypoxia with it.

[LyraM45 0]

I got to do the chamber as part of an aviation physiology class during my undergrad. Totally awesome experience. If you happen to be near a facility that offers sessions to the public try to get in on one. It's a real eye opener for aviators, skydivers, etc, etc.

Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)