Hypoxia and Medicine

what are some mental effects of climbing in high altitudes?

i know the physical effects i just need to know the mental ones! please help me p and t

Public Comments

1. The negative mental effects are caused by the physical. For me, "high" was above 12000 feet. On that trip I had a headache all the time. I couldn't enjoy the splendid Sierra scenery as I wanted to. I wasn't as ambitious in terms of seeing what lay beyond the next saddle and looking for those tiny beautiful lakes tucked away in the circues.
2. Confusion, decreased mental performance (because of decreased oxygen to the brain)--you might feel like you're intoxicated...at 5,000 meters, attention span is 57% of what it is at sea-level, short-term memory is 76% of what it is at sea level, arithmetic ability is 86% of what it is at sea level, and decision making ability is 90% of what it is at sea level.
3. I think this is it: · Headaches both while exercising and at rest that will not go away if Aspirin is taken. · Breathlessness at rest, and extreme fatigue after exertion. · Decrease in appetite commonly accompanied by attacks of nausea. · A resting heart-rate of more than 100 beats per minute. · Irritability and/or mood swings. --------------------------- You will maybe find more on: http://www.itfnz.org.nz/ref/essays/physiological_effects_of_high_al.htm ------------------------------------ Hope it helps!
4. I experienced acute respiratory problems after reaching over 13000 feet over msl.I felt as if someone is choking me in my neck.Further ,there were cramps in my stomach.As a side effect, possibly, I got headache .which vanished after I descended to 12000 level.I do not remember any other mental effect.