high altitude headaches

[ghost]

A question for the alpine hunters .Some times while at higher elevations I get piercing headaches,does anybody else get these.Is there any thing one could do not to get these.I always drink lots of water,but that doesnt always work.

[dino]

I was out scouting with a buddy last weekend and he got a bad one.

[nwalter]

This is altitude sickness. It is something where you have to spend more time at altitude to condition you body. The headaches will go away after a while

[Ltbullken]

Spend more time acclimatizing at that altitude and they will go away eventually. Keep hydrated. What elevation are you talking about here?

[ghost]

I was at 2100 meters.I felt I was staying hydrated,perhaps I will drink more water in the days leading up to any hikes that go to those elevations.

[gbear]

I get that a little bit on most of my sheep hunts for the first couple days. Feel a bit week and sluggish with it as well. But, as others say, it does go away.

[kitnayakwa77]

Altitude sickness is extremely uncommon below 3000m. Try drinking electrolytes (gatorade, etc) instead of just water, and drink often and lots. Loss of sodium and potassium through exterion causes headaches and muscle cramping and water does not replace.

[Backcountry archer]

Altitude sickness is extremely uncommon below 3000m. Try drinking electrolytes (gatorade, etc) instead of just water, and drink often and lots. Loss of sodium and potassium through exterion causes headaches and muscle cramping and water does not replace.
You can get powder Gatorade that you just mix with water or even "Emergen-C" drink packets that are full of vitamins, Antioxidants and electrolytes.
These give you a real boost and taste pretty good too.

[Mountaintop]

When I was younger I did a lot of camping and hiking above 10,000 feet. Staying a day or two at the trail head before you move out will help get your body used to the altitude. I was also told that, along with good hydration, to take an aspirin tablet a day. This thins out the blood a bit and helps circulation. Maybe it just treated the headache but it seemed to work for me

[RBH]

Sounds like altitude sickness. It affects people differently and is not about "him" or "her" or "tough". It is caused by fluid retention at higher altitudes. When we were in Peru my wife had sigficant altitude sickness (nausea; headache) at around 7500' -- quite debilitating. Obviously the tendency to be affected will increase with the altitude. YOu can get pills for it, which kick in after a couple of hours, which you can take as required and stop taking when the problem goes away. Altitude sickness will generally go away when you decrease your elevation, and if it is serious then you should do so. In extreme situations it can kill you. It should go away if you acclimatize by spending time at the altitude. Having said all that, a cousin who worked at high altitude mining in Peru said their approach was "take aspirin and be damned", and he is alive to talk about it. At 7500' that would seem like a reasonable short term measure. And yes, HYDRATE.

[ryanb]

It is pretty much impossible to get altitude sickness at 2100m. Some possible causes: dehydration, low blood sugar, low electrolytes, tension on your neck from pressure on your shoulders from your pack/rifle (I get this a lot if I'm not careful).

[ghost]

Thanks for all your replies.I will try some gateraide and an aspirin. I dont always get headaches but they do take away from the enjoyment of being up high.