One of the anecdotes that foreign tourists take with them after they visit Peruvian soil is that, when they travel as a family, there is always a person, most of the time a boy, that suffers from altitude sickness. Though before it was thought that it was only a myth, in the times in which Peru was recently known as world tourist destination, the altitude sickness is produced by the lack of oxygen in cities of high altitude.
Symptoms
In the high mountain zones, because of their location, there is lack of oxygen to which we are used to. Because of it, our organism is able to create more red blood cells to be able to supply for the lack of it and to keep us in the air. This will cause headaches, difficulty breathing, physical exhaustion, queasiness, sicknesses and by the moment we go to the bed, we will be in deep sleep. In extreme cases there could be light bleeding from the nose, but there is nothing to worry about.
How to recover?
As it is very probable that this will occur at the moment of arrival to the cities of Cuzco or Huascarán, we need a little time so that our bodies become accustomed to the new climate. Not to loose calm is fundamental, since the feeling of anxiety and the meager air can cause us to have a respiratory picture of fear.
If after a minute you feel that you cannot even continue walking, there are many special medical posts for tourists that will help you recover your breath by breathing through an oxygen cylinder. In all the paid tours, the tour guides are coached to deal with cases of this type.
The best way to avoid the altitude sickness is the form we arrive. If we go by highway, the gradual ascent through the mountains will affect us less upon arriving to our destination. On the other hand, if we go by airplane, it is recommended that we ask the hostess for a cup of coke tea to help the body distribute oxygen better.
On the other hand, if you go to cities beyond 3000 meters of height, like Cuzco and Puno, it is advisable to take every 3 hours a tablet of coramina and not to eat heavy food. Likewise, to take lemon caramels and a cup of coke tea regularly will help us not to fall in the hands of altitude sickness, that can ruin the beautiful experience of traveling to Peru.
