How to prevent mountaineering cramps and mountain sickness?

The basic knowledge of mountaineering is compared with other sports, such as road running, cycling and swimming. Mountaineering is a very dangerous sport, especially the journey to challenge the mountains above 3000 meters above sea level. For fresh people who want to climb mountains, it is absolutely necessary to have basic knowledge of mountaineering. This chapter lists several situations that climbers are most likely to encounter, and some knowledge is about how to use the climbing pole correctly and pack it correctly, so that you can complete the climbing journey more easily. Some common sense is even related to life safety, such as hypothermia and mountain sickness, which must not be ignored.

Cramp cramp is the most common situation for people who have just started climbing mountains. After a long period of inactivity, suddenly engaged in such intense and physically exhausting activities, cramps are most likely to occur on the way up the mountain. Because of cramp pain, they can't move on, which makes the original beautiful mountaineering activities become painful torture.

1 Why do you suck cramps? Under repeated strenuous exercise for a long time, if the leg muscles exceed the normal load, coupled with excessive sweating, resulting in excessive salt loss and electrolyte imbalance, it will cause involuntary contraction of muscles, which is what we call cramps. Sometimes cramps last for 3-5 minutes, sometimes for half an hour or even longer, but as long as we treat them in time, the muscles in the cramp area can return to normal.

2 inspiratory cramp, what should I do? When cramping, the muscles in the cramping area are in a state of extreme contraction. At this time, the cramped muscles should be slowly pulled away in the opposite direction of contraction, which can slowly relieve the feeling of pain. When the thigh cramps, we can straighten the knee, put one hand under the heel to lift the leg, and press the muscles of the cramped knee gently with the other hand until the pain symptoms are relieved. When the calf cramps, we can sit flat on the ground, touch our toes with both hands straight, grasp the big toe of the cramped leg with our hands, pull up and keep the calf straight and close to the ground, wait for about 30 seconds to one minute, and slowly return to normal. In addition, because cramps are caused by excessive salt loss and electrolyte imbalance, when cramps occur, we can also take salt or drink sports drinks containing electrolytes immediately to relieve pain symptoms. Therefore, when preparing mountaineering equipment, you can prepare a pinch of salt to carry with you and provide it to yourself or others when necessary. Note 1: The function of salt can not only relieve cramps, but also be used to deal with annoying leeches (or leeches). Don't pull out leeches when you meet them in the mountains. Just put a pinch of salt on the leech, and after a few seconds, the leech will be separated from you.

3 how to prevent cramps? ● Exercise regularly at ordinary times. Running or climbing stairs is the simplest and most effective way. If you can add weight training (ranging from 5 to 15 kg according to the situation), the effect will be better. These usual trainings can prevent muscle fatigue when climbing mountains. In addition, you should always replenish enough water and salt during exercise. ● Warm-up and moderate stretching before climbing can also moderately reduce the chance of cramps. ● Drink plenty of water on the way up the mountain. Don't wait until you are thirsty, but don't drink too much when you drink water. Drink about 50 ~ 100 cc each time to moisten the mouth.

Temperature loss is the most critical and fatal situation in mountaineering activities. Once the climber enters a state of hypothermia, he is likely to die within a few hours. Therefore, when we encounter temperature loss, we must take necessary measures immediately. Generally speaking, when the body temperature is lower than 35 degrees Celsius, there is a danger of losing temperature. Above 32 degrees Celsius, the human body still has the ability to resist low temperature. Generally, the body temperature will be raised by shivering, rapid heartbeat and high blood pressure. However, once the body temperature drops below 32 degrees, the body's mechanism against hypothermia will fail, the patient's consciousness will be blurred, the muscles will start to lose control, and the patient will even lose consciousness, or there will be emergencies such as shock.

? Sofar.co.za1Reasons for temperature loss. Although Taiwan Province Province is located in the subtropical zone, on the high mountain (especially over 3000m), the low temperature caused by height (the temperature will drop by 6 degrees Celsius with the increase of height1000m), coupled with the wind-cold effect and humidity, the temperature loss is also one of the main causes of mountain disasters. As long as the ambient temperature is low enough, the heat loss rate of the body is fast enough, and the exposure time is long enough, it may lead to the danger of losing temperature. The best strategy to prevent temperature loss is to prevent it in advance, prepare for the cold before climbing, find it early and deal with it quickly.

Symptoms of hypothermia: The patient will feel extremely cold, his skin will turn pale, his body will tremble uncontrollably, his consciousness will be blurred and his reaction will be slow. After severe symptoms, their pulse and heartbeat may become extremely slow, their breathing will be weak, and they may even lose consciousness or stop breathing and heartbeat. Once they enter hypothermia, they may die within a few hours. Therefore, when they encounter hypothermia, the situation will become very critical, and appropriate treatment must be given immediately to save their lives.

How to prevent clothes from losing temperature: The ideal way to dress for mountaineering should be a sweat-wicking suit, an intermediate insulation layer and a waterproof and dehumidifying coat from the inside out. For mountaineering activities lasting more than one day, you should bring at least one set of spare clothes and wrap them in plastic or waterproof bags. In addition, the head will also lose a lot of body heat, so be sure to wear a headscarf or a warm hat. If you climb a mountain in winter, your limbs are at the end of blood vessels, farthest from your heart, and you are most likely to feel cold, so you must also take measures to keep out the cold. Cold-proof gloves (WINDSTOPPER or GORE-TEX grade) and wool socks are essential clothes for mountain climbing in winter. Food: You should replenish energy anytime and anywhere during climbing. When walking, you can eat high-calorie foods such as bread, mixed nuts and raisins in your mouth. These are all good ways to replenish calories. In addition, you should bring warm boiled water in a thermos bottle when climbing, and drink warm boiled water on the way to increase your body heat.

? Sofar.co.za 4 Disposal of temperature loss due to aspiration ● Immediately move the patient to a warm place, for example, quickly enter the mountain house, or find a safe place to make an emergency camp on the spot. Immediately take off the wet and cold clothes on the patient, put on warm clothes (spare clothes), or wrap the patient in a sleeping bag. ● If the patient is conscious, provide warm drinks (such as ginger soup or hot tea) and eat high-calorie food. ● If the patient has lost consciousness, let the patient lie on his side in a recovery posture (as shown in the figure below) to keep the respiratory tract unblocked, and check his breathing, heartbeat, skin color and temperature rise at any time, and continue to give warm treatment. If necessary (such as stopping breathing or heartbeat), appropriate first aid procedures (such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation) must be given.

● The kettle can be heated around the patient's body, or the rescuer can lie with the patient at his own body temperature, which can effectively raise the patient's body temperature. ● Don't give the patient ② drinking, ③ limbs, and don't encourage the patient to exercise. Note ②: Alcohol can dilate blood vessels on human surface, resulting in rapid heat loss. Precautions ③: * * Limbs will make the cold blood of limbs return to the heart, which will cause the temperature of body organs to drop.

What is mountain sickness? "Mountain sickness" refers to all kinds of physical discomfort caused by the decrease of oxygen concentration in the air in high altitude areas, especially in places above 3000 meters above sea level. Most people will have different degrees of altitude sickness when they first arrive at high altitude. Some people will adapt or get rid of it in a day or two, while people with weak adaptability may need three to five days or even longer to adapt or directly cause altitude sickness. From the height-oxygen content comparison table below, it can be clearly seen that at the height of 3000m, the oxygen content in the atmosphere is only 68% of that of the flat land, while at the height of 5000m, the oxygen content is only half of that of the flat land.

The physiological reaction of human body at plateau is generally at high altitude, especially when the altitude is above 3000 meters. In order to cope with the decrease of oxygen concentration in the air, the body will make an appropriate physiological response and supply sufficient oxygen to various organs. Among these psychological reactions, the most obvious is the accelerated heartbeat. The pulse rate of ordinary people in the plains is generally about 72 beats per minute, and it can be increased to 80 ~ 90 beats per minute in mountainous areas, and some people even exceed 100. The faster the heart beats, the higher the oxygen consumption his body needs. When the oxygen in the air is obviously insufficient, the heart will speed up the delivery of oxygen to all parts of the body by speeding up its beating, but this kind of person with a faster heartbeat also means that it is more likely to cause mountain sickness. Therefore, if we find that someone's heart is beating very fast during climbing, we should pay attention to whether this person has the symptoms of mountain sickness and give appropriate treatment in advance. Similarly, due to lack of oxygen in the mountains, another reaction of the human body is to breathe faster, and the frequency of breathing will increase with the degree of lack of oxygen. In severe cases, people will feel chest tightness or unable to breathe air. In addition, in the mountains, the secretion of saliva, intestinal juice, bile, etc. will be less than that of the flat land, so the gastrointestinal function will be significantly weakened, and there will often be symptoms of digestive system discomfort such as loss of appetite, abdominal distension, diarrhea (or constipation).

How to prevent mountain sickness ● Before departure, go to the family medicine department of the hospital or clinic to check whether the physical condition is suitable for going to high altitude areas. You can also ask a doctor for prescription drugs for Diamox to prevent altitude sickness. After departure, you can take Danmusi at the entrance of the mountain immediately, especially at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters. Damus can quickly strengthen the oxygen-making function of blood. Try to relax, don't be too excited or nervous, so as to reduce the frequency of heartbeat and the load on the heart. ● Try to slow down, don't run, or even go fast, especially when climbing mountains. ● Reduce the burden as much as possible. Equipment that is too heavy on the back will make the body consume more oxygen, so the equipment should be light. ● Pay attention to cold and warmth to avoid mountain sickness caused by cold or fever. If you have cold symptoms before you leave, you'd better cancel the mountaineering activities. ● Try to avoid smoking. Smoking will consume excess oxygen, and drinking will also make the heart beat faster and make the blood oxygen insufficient, which will lead to mountain sickness. ● Try not to take a hot bath, especially not to wash your hair, because when taking a hot bath, the capillaries will become larger, which will accelerate the heat dissipation and oxygen consumption in the body and cause altitude sickness. Last but not least, if you feel unwell, you must rest or take medicine. If the situation does not improve or even worsen, you must go down the mountain at once. Ignoring the illness and delaying going down the mountain will only lead to more serious consequences.

Book information ◎ This article is taken from the book "The original Baiyue is so close to us and comes from a height of 3000 meters" by the cutting-edge publication Huang. In this book, Qiao Qiao Huang, a professional leader who has successfully conquered every Baiyue Mountain and has more than 20 years of mountaineering photography experience, has compiled several scenic and easy-to-get "private" leisure mountaineering (photography) routes for you and me. It also provides a lot of key mountaineering knowledge (such as understanding mountain sickness, analyzing portable professional mountaineering equipment, and using mountaineering poles correctly), as well as the most concise and easy-to-understand guide to explaining and shooting mountain photographic equipment. Please click here for book information.