For most people, altitude isn’t too hard of an obstacle. Although there is thinner air, hiking or skiing are still enjoyable activities. For other people, like those living with complex chronic illnesses, altitude can dramatically change how the body feels and functions.
I have always noticed changes when I leave Colorado. When I travel somewhere closer to sea level, I feel better. My pain levels decrease, my energy comes back, my headaches disappear, and my body feels a little less inflamed. I can actually enjoy my vacation and flares aren’t a common occurrence.
The moment I return home, it’s like my symptoms flip back on. Almost immediately, I feel worse again. You’d think my body would be adjusted by now for living in Colorado for many years, but it hasn’t. For a long time, I wondered if it was just coincidence. Over the years, I’ve heard so many people with chronic illness say the exact same thing, and not just people with the same conditions as me.
Most people are familiar with altitude sickness. It can be serious, and in some cases it can even lead to longer-term health problems. Colorado and other high-altitude regions also have some of the highest rates of conditions like Multiple Sclerosis.
So, it makes me wonder: why do so many of us seem to struggle more here at higher elevations? What is it about altitude that can make chronic illness symptoms so much harder to manage?
During an appointment with my otolaryngologist, we ended up talking about this exact phenomenon. He confirmed that we’re not crazy for noticing it and altitude really can affect symptoms. Higher elevations cause real, measurable changes in the body, and those changes can hit people with complex or chronic conditions much harder.
So, after that conversation, I did what most of us do when you have to know more about something. I went down a bit of an internet rabbit hole.
Turns out, there actually is research that helps explain why altitude can make chronic illness symptoms worse.
As elevation increases, air pressure drops, which means each breath contains less available oxygen. This is known as hypoxia. To compensate, the body has to work harder (heart rate increases, breathing speeds up, and the nervous system becomes more active) in order to deliver enough oxygen to tissues and organs.
For healthy people, the body usually adapts over time. But for people with chronic illnesses, especially conditions like mine that already affect the nervous system, circulation, or connective tissue, those extra demands can push the body past its normal limits.
Researchers have also found that altitude can increase activity in the sympathetic nervous system (the body’s stress response), affect brain oxygen levels, and even change how the body processes pain. On top of that, higher elevations are typically drier and more dehydrating, which can make symptoms worse for people who already struggle with blood volume, fatigue, or autonomic dysfunction.
So while it might feel strange to notice symptoms improve at lower elevations and flare up again back home, there is a physiological reason behind it. The environment itself is asking more of the body, and when your system is already working overtime, that extra demand can make a noticeable difference.
Understanding the Connection Between Altitude and CRPS, POTS, hEDS, and Vascular Health
My conditions already involve dysregulation of circulation, nerves, connective tissue, and oxygen delivery. When altitude enters the equation, those systems can be pushed even further out of balance.
At higher elevations, the body receives less oxygen with each breath. To compensate, the heart and nervous system work harder to move oxygen through the body. For someone whose autonomic or vascular systems are already struggling to regulate those processes, that extra demand can worsen symptoms like fatigue, dizziness, pain, and brain fog.
In other words, altitude doesn’t cause these illnesses, but it can make the body work much harder to keep things stable. When I think about that, I can only imagine how hard my body has worked for all these years.
Other Important Factors in High Elevations
Altitude also brings other environmental changes that can affect the body. Air pressure is lower, the climate is much drier, and the body loses more fluid through breathing, which can contribute to dehydration. Higher elevations can also stimulate the nervous system’s stress response and disrupt sleep because oxygen levels fluctuate more at night. When the body is already working hard to regulate circulation, nerves, and oxygen delivery, these additional factors can make symptoms more noticeable.
Living at altitude doesn’t mean someone with chronic illness can’t find ways to adapt, but it does help explain why symptoms may feel harder to manage here. Understanding the role the environment plays can be an important piece of the puzzle when trying to make sense of what our bodies are experiencing.
Anyway, I’m moving to the beach! CYA!
Thanks for reading.
References:
- Hackett & Roach, 2001
- Luks et al., 2019
- Mazzeo, 2008
- West, 2013
- Graven-Nielsen et al., 1996
- American College of Rheumatology, n.d.