Sleeping at Altitude - Getting it Dialled

Getting a good quality night of sleep whilst on expedition is key, but there are numerous factors which will try and prevent you from getting one. It's pretty much a given that when you ascend in altitude, your sleep quality will degrade, and then when you mix that in with sleeping in noisy mountain refuges or campsites, the odds are already stacking against you. This short blog will provide some food for thought on how you can try and optimise your sleeping experience whilst away.

Sleeping at Altitude

Firstly, what're the consequences of getting poor sleep?

We've all experienced that rubbish night of sleep, but how often have the consequences been as great as they will be on an expedition. A poor night of sleep can lead to:

• Reduced enjoyment of the trip - whether that be your tolerance of things be reduced

• Reduced or impaired cognitive function and judgement - in short, your ability to make good decisions in a timely manner will be reduced.

• Unsafe decision making - this ties in with the above, but an unsafe decision in a technical environment could lead to injury, or worse...

• Decreased recovery - the body lacks the proper sleep state to truly recover from the demands of the day

• Lower the chances of success

Periodic Breathing

Before we move onto looking at things to improve your sleep, it is also worth being aware of what is known as 'Periodic Breathing'. This is prevalent, and extremely common, when heading on expeditions to altitude. Thanks to the increasingly hypoxic environment you are in, your breathing pattern changes. You can experience fluctuations in your breathing rate and depths, and even pauses. After the first few days things should improve, particularly if you are on an itinerary which avoids a rapid ascent and takes a gradual approach. Diamox can be used to to help manage periodic breathing. It is worth being aware, that if periodic breathing symptoms don't improve then descent to an altitude where the problem subsides may be the only answer.

So, what can you do to increase the chances of good sleep?

It's well worth putting some time in before the expedition to prepare for the worst sleep case scenario. By doing this, you will arm yourself with multiple ideas / items which can probably make small improvements. If you get the basics dialled then it could make a big difference to the outcome of your trip. Here are some ideas:

• Keep well hydrated, but be aware of the timing - Drinking plenty of fluids is a key part of your personal acclimatisation piece, however you must think about the timing of this. We recommend people target 3-5 litres of water a day, but there is no use in getting to 6pm and needing to chug down 2 litres in order to meet your quota. This is only going to go straight through you, and most likely cause you to break your sleep by needing to wake up multiple times in the night. Aim to spread the hydration out throughout the day, with the bulk of your fluids having been consumed by 5pm.

• Limit Caffeine and Alcohol - It's probably wise to limit alcohol intake whilst at altitude anyway, but limiting your consumption of both caffeine and alcohol is good as they can both have a very negative impact on sleep. If you're going to get that caffeine hit (super easy on the EBC trail thanks to all the lovely coffee shops!) just consider the timing of this.

• Cut out the Noise and Light - Bring along some ear plugs, and make sure you test them before you head off on your trip - not all ear plugs fit comfortably for everyone. Sleeping with an eye mask on, or even just a buff over your eyes can help cut out the light.

• Bring the most comfortable kit you can to sleep in - 'If you're not in your boots, you're in your sleeping bag' is a good quote to go by. Ultimately, bring good footwear, and bring a good sleeping bag on expedition, and most other things can be managed. Make sure your sleep system is good quality and up to the task. This includes thinking about inflatable mattresses and foam mats to sleep on if you're camping. An inflatable pillow is a great, and often overlooked luxury if you're camping. It definitely beats a dry bag full of kit.

• Think about sleep hacks - Using a hot water bottle (or a Nalgene full of hot water), Listening to White Noise or relaxing music, doing some calming breathing exercises, drinking camomile tea, keeping off the screens, to name a few. Whatever works for you, build it into an evening routine all designed to ease you into sleep. It is not recommended to use sleeping pills at altitude due to the impact it has on your already impacted breathing rate (Periodic breathing)

• Prioritise Sleep - Make sure you allow adequate time to sleep. As fun as it can be chatting away with your trek mates until the early hours, make sure you give yourself the best possible chance of getting your 7-8 hours. Some people like to take naps during the day. I only tend to recommend this if you know you're needing to catch up on sleep after a particularly poor night. The issue with napping is that whilst you're napping, you're not hydrating and you're not doing what is often referred to as 'Active Acclimatisation'.

• Undertake a gradual ascent - Make sure the itinerary you're undertaking follows a sensible ascent profile, with opportunities to 'Climb High, Sleep Low' where possible.

A potentially noisy campsite