How Does the Body Adjust to High Altitudes?

Hi, it’s Kristen in New York, where I’m firmly at sea level. A reader wants to know how the body adjusts to higher heights. But first...

I live in Albuquerque, which is a mile high. We are told that over a few weeks we adjust to the altitude, because our blood becomes able to absorb oxygen from the thin air more effectively. Does our adjustment compensate completely or just enough to get by?

Last summer I hiked Guatemala’s Acatenango, which, at just over 13,000 feet (4,000 meters), is one of Central America’s highest peaks. It’s a steep ascent to the top over two days and several hours, but I thought I would be fine — I was in relatively decent shape. Instead, I found myself having to stop every few minutes to catch my breath. At more than one point, I questioned whether I would make it. (Don’t worry, I did.) The cause of my struggles, of course, was altitude.

The higher up you go, the harder your body has to work to make up for the lower levels of oxygen. But, over time, our bodies can adapt.

“When people move to higher altitudes, from the first moment they arrive their bodies begin adjusting to the lower oxygen content in the air,” says Betty Chang, a professor of internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.