We recently took a trip to our cousins condo on a mountain in Utah. The condo sits at 10,000 feet, that may not sound like much to some people, however when you live at roughly 2,000 feet the altitude can give you serious problems.

So following are some tips for dealing with altitude sickness or issues with being at a much greater altitude than you’re accustomed to.

First, the air will probably be dry. If you have the option bring along a humidifier and run it day and night. It will relieve the dryness of your skin and help with possible nosebleeds.

Second, speaking of nosebleeds…….these are common at high altitudes. So use a humidifier, be patient with too much activity the first 24 hours, sit and relax if you’re bleeding, pinch the nose for several minutes then gently blow out any clots and then pinch again. Repeat as needed. A coating of vasoline ointment inside the nose applied a couple times a day can really help too.

Third, headaches, another common problem at altitude. Tylenol!!! Ibuprophen!!! Whatever pain reliever usually works for you. You should take some pain reliever before heading up the mountain to head off the pain or potential headache. Hot or cold compresses work well. Get enough sleep, taking a nap is a marvelous idea. Drink a soda with some caffeine in it to boost the power of your pain reliever and then be patient and relax.

Fourth, appetites may be far less than on lower ground. Eat lightly, eat more often, relax, even the little kids will be affected so feed them when they are hungry

Fifth, drink water!!!! You will dehydrate at greater altitude far faster then you think or are accustomed to. This will make nosebleeds, headaches and everything else much worse. So drink lots of water before you head out to your mountain and lots while you are there. Sports drinks are great, sugar free drinks are fine, but nothing beats good old water.

Enjoy your mountain experience, but be prepared and you’ll have a much better trip.