Wise Guide for Your Trip to Tibet
The high altitude and people's reaction to it is one of the difficulties to travel to Tibet. But it is not as serious as you imagine especially when you know it and get prepared for it.
* Do exercises to keep you fit before coming to Tibet.
- Avoid catching a cold.
- Make sure you have a good sleep the night before you flying to Lhasa.
- You'd better not to take any activities for the first day in Tibet.
- After getting off your airplane in the airport, walk slowly, take some deep breath.
* Do not do anything severely.
- Ascend to higher altitude gradually. DO NOT ASCEND ANY HIGHER if you feel bad.
- Prepare some AMS pills according to your doctor's suggestion.
* If possible, don't fly or drive to high altitude. Start below 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) and walk up.
* If you do fly or drive, do not over-exert yourself or move higher for the first 24 hours.
*If you go above 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), only increase your altitude by 1,000 feet (305 meters) per day and for every 3,000 feet (915 meters) of elevation gained, take a rest day.
*"Climb high and sleep low." This is the maxim used by climbers. You can climb more than 1,000 feet (305 meters) in a day as long as you come back down and sleep at a lower altitude.
* If you begin to show symptoms of moderate altitude illness, don't go higher until symptoms decrease (Don't go up until symptoms go down").
*If symptoms increase, go down, down, down!
Keep in mind that different people will acclimatize at different rates. Make sure all of your party is properly acclimatized before going higher.
Stay properly hydrated. Acclimatization is often accompanied by fluid loss, so you need to drink lots of fluids to remain properly hydrated (at least 3-4 quarts per day). Urine output should be copious and clear.
*Take it easy; don't over-exert yourself when you first get up to altitude. Light activity during the day is better than sleeping because respiration decreases during sleep, exacerbating the symptoms.
* Avoid tobacco and alcohol and other depressant drugs including, barbiturates, tranquilizers, and sleeping pills. These depressants further decrease the respiratory drive during sleep resulting in a worsening of the symptoms.
* Eat a high carbohydrate diet (more than 70% of your calories from carbohydrates) while at altitude.
The acclimatization process is inhibited by dehydration, over-exertion, and alcohol and other depressant drugs.

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