Why would people descend to sleep while acclimatizing?
I am watching a video about a climb of Annapurna. To acclimate the climbers head up from base camp to another camp higher up, stay for a day or two, then return to base camp. They repeat this process a few times, each time going a little higher.
Why the return to base camp? Seems to me that would partially undo the acclimatization they are seeking.
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1 answer
What they are doing is following the maxim "climb high, sleep low". Going too fast will cause altitude sickness.
Humans have a lower respiration rate while sleeping, which is why they can be okay at higher altitudes while awake and yet need to descend to sleep.
The accepted guideline is not to increase your sleeping altitude by more than 1000 ft (300m) per day.
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