I’ve seen some fantastic sits at locations far up from my usual 489 ft above sea level but have been reluctant to apply owing to concerns about altitude sickness and accompanying symptoms. Denver, Albuquerque, Mexico City, Santa Fe, etc. look like lovely spots to spend time.
I’d love to know how others handled this challenge (tips and tricks) and what your experience was adjusting to a significant altitude change.
My brother lives in Colorado at 8537 ft / 2602 m and I’ve visited him quite a few times over the years. (Denver is 5280 ft). The air is thinner and you notice it the first couple of days as you find yourself unexpectedly somewhat winded climbing a flight of stairs. You get used to it after a few days and then you’re breathing just fine. You only need to worry about altitude sickness if you go hiking much, much higher (where nobody lives).
What I never got used to was how the dry air turned my hair to straw!
I experienced that in Las Vegas, along with the feeling of perpetual dehydration despite drinking far, far more water than I do at home. I thought I’d enjoy the break from the Texas summer humidity, but I’d never experienced dry like that! I did enjoy the break from sweating though.
Good to know. Sounds as though it would be wise to plan a less physical sit (older dog(s), cat(s), amphibians and reptiles), at least for the first leg of any multiweek sit.
It is individual but the majority of people do not experience altitude sickness in Colorado or Mexico City. I´ve been to both places multiple times and … nada. However, there is no guarantee it will not happen to you. So, take it very easy for the first three days, drink a lot of water and (if need be) get some anti-altitude sickness pills and start taking them 3 days before arrival
I live at sea level and I’ve not experienced altitude sickness in Mexico City or other higher altitude cities in Mexico.
Years ago I used to live in the mountains at 4500 feet altitude and was fine there too.
The only time I felt tired and out of breath was when from sea level I went up to 5000 feet in a matter of hours and hiked up mount Etna.
I live in flat Texas also, and find the altitude in those cities (I’ve been to all of them) to be no problem…until I try running! Then it is humbling. I spent 10 days on a sit in Denver once and was fine with strenuous hiking, snowshowing, and cycling, but a 3 mile run after a week left me gasping (and I run a lot!).
As for the dry air and my hair - I loved it! Every day was a good hair day with no frizz from humidity.
Altitude sickness has only affected me at much higher elevations - 10,000+
We went to Quito Ecuador (8,000ft) also Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii (10,000 ft) and in both cases I felt drunk/light headed/spaced out. I felt slow and breathless… so you walk and think more slowly than usual which can be disorienting. I also had problems with my contact lenses and very dry eyes. Hydration really is the answer and taking it easy for a few days and no alcohol!
I’m from Europe, so I’ll go for meters (multiply by 3 to get feet): in general it’s extremely rare to get altitude sickness at altitudes up to 2500-3000 m above sea level.
There’s the odd person who is sensitive to it, but the majority of people do perfectly fine at altitudes of 3000m or even beyond (~3500), as long as you don’t immediately head off on a strenuous hike
Be sure to stay hydrated and drink lots of water.
We went to Cusco and Machu Picchu a few years back on a personal vacation. When we arrived at our hotel, we were offered tea made from the Coca leaf which the locals highly recommend to prevent altitude sickness. Neither my husband or I suffered from it at all.
I’ve lived in or visited places with high elevations over decades without problems, so I wouldn’t do anything differently living wise or sitting wise. I don’t run or such even normally, and I avoid sits that require anything strenuous, like doing miles of walking or hiking, or lifting a heavy pet. Anytime I see a listing for an active or energetic dog, or a breed like that, I skip, skip, skip.
I am prone to altitude sickness, even in my younger years when I backpacked, hiked, skied in the Rocky mountains.
Any time i’m traveling to anywhere at higher altitudes, I ensure that I have at least one day of no exertion, preferably 2 and even then, try to keep fairly easy going until I know I’m up to it.
Balance can be affected, as well as being short of breath. It can also be dangerous in severe cases. Definitely no alcohol until I know i’m ok.
And of course altitude sickness is not respectful of age or fitness, as it’s genetic. The fittest healthiest people can suffer from it, whilst unfit older people might not suffer at all- it’s all in your genes so the first time is the test and the riskiest.
When in doubt, this is why (perhaps) starting at a “mere” 1-mile altitude could be a smart thing to do.
With regard to genes… hmmm… not sure. I’ve been to all sorts of heights, time and time again, including Bogotá about four years ago (the highest at the time). ‘Altitude sickness’ wasn’t even in my vocabulary. Then, a year later, I visited Quito, and all h… broke loose. The worst altitude sickness ever. I know I did the best I could to “help” it develop… nonetheless, scary stuff
Added: Courtesy of Google:
“some people are inherently more susceptible to altitude sickness than others—and that this susceptibility is heritable”
susceptible … ah, not quite the same … we are all more or less susceptible to absolutely everything … and it is all in our genes
For some people, altitude sickness can occur in exactly the same location where it didn’t previously, which can be a bit of a surprise.
It affects everyone differently.
I felt drunk and disoriented for the first couple of days and very tired. But my body got used to it. Hiking was our main reason for being there (Colorado) but the hikes were much shorter. We were there for 6 weeks and my body definitely got used to it. In Ecuador, I didn’t trust myself to drive as my reflexes and decision making were very slow.
You may be lucky. It’s a beautiful area and well worth exploring
I visited the Aiguilles de Midi by Mt Blanc in France at 3842 metres and experienced altitude sickness for the first time ever, a tired dragging feeling where I needed to sit down. I was fine back at the bottom again. My less than sympathetic friends called it a fear of heights! 
There’s only one way to “cure” altitude sickness outright: descend to a lower altitude.
Several treatments can help altitude sickness when it’s not as severe. Some of these are also helpful when an immediate descent isn’t possible. Treatment approaches include:
Altitude sickness is very preventable, and there are a few key ways you can prevent it. They are:
From here, one of the leading hospitals in the U.S., which mentions nothing about heredity: Altitude Sickness: What It Is, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Thanks for starting this topic @SaraShann. As someone who moved from sea level to Colorado a few months ago, this has been a helpful and interesting read! Especially when we have ventured up to higher elevations in the Rockies.
My husband had no issues at all, but I had to hydrate much more and everything felt like climbing stairs breathwise for a while, which I know others have also mentioned.
Also, my neighbour told me when they go back to sea level they now feel super fit when they exercise as they are used to lower oxygen. I am looking forward to trying that out!