We just finished reading an interesting article over at Summit Daily News about a potential link between high altitude and sleeping problems.
Apparently, sleeping at high altitudes of around 8,000 – 10,000 feet (where there is less oxygen) can exacerbate sleeplessness.
We’ve not heard of altitude or low oxygen levels being mentioned as a potential insomnia cause before. We’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on this one – have you any experience of altitude affecting your sleep? Our comments form is below, as usual.
As always, there's more information and advice in our insomnia support forum.
{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
Altitude insomnia exists in me…. right now.
Every year I take a trip to Switzerland and stay in a hotel at 1800m. Every year I annoyingly fail to sleep every night. I’ve tried drinking more, drinking less, no caffine, more caffine, sleeping tablets, lots of exercise – nothing works. I’ve just googled altitude insomnia and found a few links, but I don’t suffer from dizziness, lack of appetite or lethargy. Just frustration from not being ablt to sleep.
That’s really interesting – thanks for sharing, Jules. When you return home are you able to immediately return to your previous sleep pattern?
I have it right now. Thank God I head back to sea level today a full day earlier than originally planned!
Had you suffered from insomnia before your high altitude trip, John?
It’s a relief to know I may not be crazy. The last two years when I’ve visited Summit County I have lain awake night after night — often till 4 in the morning. Needless to say, the resulting fatigue interferes with my enjoyment of this beautiful spot (altitude in Frisco 9100 ft.). Headed back east and downhill, I sleep like a baby in the first motel we come to. The same thing happened in Santa Fe some years ago. I am not a total stranger to insomnia, but have never had it so long and so consistently. At home in Michigan, I am sleeping well again.
Bev
Thanks for sharing, Bev. There are also theories that vacationing itself may cause insomnia:
http://www.insomnialand.com/blog/vacations-may-be-a-cause-of-insomnia/
It seems impossible to win, right?!
I go on 2-3 ski hut trips a year and suffer from what I’ve called “high altitude insomnia”. I have little to no trouble sleeping at home (Denver at 5,280 feet) but lie awake until the sun begins to rise at huts (somewhere around 11,000 feet). I usually fall asleep for just a few hours. Before going to bed I am very sleepy, my body is fully spent, and my mind is clear. As I lie in bed my heart beats unusually fast. That’s always a common thing – faster heart rate than I’d expect while relaxed in bed. It drives me crazy, which of course does not help the insomnia. Ambien put me to sleep this past weekend at 11,200 feet but taking it is not my preference.
That’s really interesting – it seems that altitude insomnia is far more common that we previously thought. Thanks for sharing, Becky.
Is your doctor prescribing you Ambien solely for your skiing trips?
I live and work in La Paz, Bolivia. My house is about 10,500 feet elevation and work is 11,500 feet. I have been here 1.5 years and still have occasional problems sleeping. I was awake at 03:30 this morning and that was after a 10k hill run to work the day before. it is not consistent but everyone at work has intermittent problems.
Thanks for sharing, Dale. Did you suffer with insomnia before moving to La Paz?
I have always been a light sleeper but I could always go back to sleep if I woke. Not in La Paz.
I have had issues sleeping at altitude on climbs if both kilimanjaro and Aconcagua. I found that somewhere above 4000 meters I start to have issues sleeping and feel I lay awake all night. I have no issues at normal altitude and on the recent trip to Aconcagua could not sleep at camp Colera (circa 6000 meters) and could sleep fully instantly on return to Mendoza (750 meters). I have mo problems in sleeping normally. I have read diamox can help, but I tried this and it had no effect for me. I also read aspirin before sleep can also help. I also read that if you stay St the altitude for 10 – 12 days your sleep will return to normal, but obviously for climbing/skiing trips this is not really practical.
I have been in Almaty, Kazakhstan for the past 2 months and I can honestly say, I’ve only had 2 decent nights sleep! I’m so fatigued that I’m thinking of jacking my job in! We’re at about 1800m here, and I don’t usually have problems sleeping at lower altitudes. I either can’t get to sleep or I drop off for what seems like minutes at a time. I’ve tried everything as well. What a pain!!!!
I am staying (skiing) in Big Sky Montana (altitude app. 8000 ft), and I cannot fricking sleep. Along with the insomnia I have experienced mild symptoms of RLS. I am glad to hear that I am not the only one experiencing these problems, and I can honestly say that I am looking forward to returning to sea level. Thank You!
Wow! I’m not alone! I just moved to Park City, UT from Minnesota in January. I haven’t slept well since. If I am lucky enough to fall asleep – it is short lived. After a few hours I wake up… WIDE AWAKE. Very frustrating, but what can I do? Interesting to hear about the quickened heart rate when going to bed. I excersize, no caffiene, just couldn’t figure it out. Any suggestions? I’m not moving back to MN, it’s just too beautiful here and I would rather not get a scrip, but I may not have a choice.
It’s fascinating to see this blog post become one of the most popular we’ve ever written, yet you rarely hear of a link between high altitude and insomnia.
Lynn, you may want to consider speaking to a doctor. Explain that you’d rather avoid medication. If you’re not happy, see if there’s a sleep clinic in your area.
Good luck!
I live in the foothills of Colorado at 7300 ft elevation. I would think I would be somewhat aclamated to high altitudes. Every time I go to the mountains and sleep over 9000 ft elevation, I can NOT sleep. I just returned from a hut trip outside Leadville for two nights. I did not sleep at all. I noticed a fast heartrate and fast respiratory rate. I took an over the counter sleep-aid, but it did not work. I slept at home last night and finally slept. I love to take these trips, but I can’t stand not sleeping. I would love to resolve this.
Same problem for me, I am 59 and go on a few ski trips a year to Colorado. I gave up caffeine, did not do a thing. I tried no alcohol and that did not work. Heart beat feels strong a quicker as I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. When I am at home a 900 ft I fall asleep just after getting to bed and wake up in the morning without any problems.
Just returned from a ski trip to Winter Park in Colorado. I only slept 3-4 hrs. each night. I was there for a total of 6 nights. At home I am a great sleeper. As soon as I was out of Colorado I slept like a baby again. I have had no trouble sleeping at all since leaving the high altitude 1 week ago.
Ditto. I rarely experience insomnia yet here i am in boulder Colorado lying wide awake for the 3rd night in a row. Im exhausted and desperately need sleep. My eyes sting. I have a slight headache.all the usual signs of impending knockout but nothing happens.
I’m really glad to hear that I’m not alone to think that there is sime correlation between insomnia and high altitude. We have moved to Park City, UT two years ago but I only got the chronic insomnia about a year ago. I noticed that when we are on vacation somewhere else at sea level, I sleep well.
Any good advice out there to battle this?
I don’t know of any specific advice other than the obvious. If you’ve been a chronic insomniac for a year, you should consider applying to join our insomnia help forums. You’ll find plenty of support and advice from other insomniacs.
just moved to Breckenridge last week and have had trouble getting a nice nights rest. I’ve never had sleeping problems EVER, even in places at 6 or 7,000 ft. elevation, but now I’m sleeping at 10,000 and i just can’t get into a very deep sleep. it sucks.
I’m glad I found this blog. This is obviously a high-altitude related problem, rather than a general insomnia issue. I’ve actually had this problem since I was little-only in the mountains, at high altitudes. I remember, even as a kid, when my family went on ski trips, lying awake unable to sleep and feeling I wasn’t getting enough air. I think it’s an oxygen issue. I’m from San Diego, California and am currently on vacation in Hartsel, Colorado. The altitude is 8,800 feet. I haven’t slept one full night since I got here a week ago. I either cannot sleep until 4:00am, and then sleep a very unsatisfying 3 hours, or I just don’t sleep. Last night, I was awake the entire night. :/ I lie there feeling like I’m not getting enough air. It’s very frustrating! I wish a doctor would post on here with info. I’d love to know how to treat this.
There definitely appears to be something to this theory. This is by far the most popular post on our blog, yet there appears to be very little information out there about this. I’ll keep my ear to the ground and continue to report back on any additional information I come across.
I moved to Boulder, CO about two months ago and have experienced a marked difference in my ability to get a good night’s sleep. I have always been a heavy sleeper, so this is becoming really frustrating.
Other websites I’ve looked at about this say trouble sleeping is pretty common at high altitudes because the lack of oxygen causes a periodic breathing pattern which ends with a short respiratory pause, or “apnea”, which disturbs sleep, to my understanding, although it seems like this wouldn’t be a problem once you’re acclimated…?
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/303571-overview#aw2aab6b4
I have had trouble falling to sleep since I moved to Colorado Springs (7200 ft) about two years, and was having even more trouble while staying at 9000 ft in the mountains this weekend.
I’m in Addis Ababa which is close to 8,000 feet. I live in Switzerland. Since I arrives four nights ago I can hardly sleep. In Switzerland I sleep deeply, and satisfyingly. I have read the other posts and realize I’m not alone! Fast heart beat, fitful sleeping, and endless nights up till 3 or 4 a.m. I finally took an Advil pm and slept great for about 4 hours (only)…But strangely enough I don’t feel overly tired in the day. I just wish I could fall asleep when I normally do, which is around 11 and sleep for a solid 7 to 8 hours.
I live in Fairplay Co at 10,000 feet. It took about a year to acclimate to the altitude. In September 2011 I climbed my first almost fourteener – Mt. Silverheels. I did fine – no symptoms. I just got back from a vacation in California (3 days ago) and still have headaches, dizziness and sleeplessness. Driving down to Breckenridge is my plan to feel better tomorrow.
Hi,
Very interesting posts here. I am currently suffering from said problem at Alpe d’Huez in France at around 1500 m (4500 feet). I get tired after skiing, go to bed at 11:00 pm or so and awake 4 hours later. Like others on this forum surprisingly I don’t feel tired during the next day. I’ve had this problem for the last 5 or so years whenever skiing.
One holiday I spent in La Paz, which is around 10000 feet and surprisingly did not have this problem. I climbed the mountain Huayna Potosi, summit is 6000 m (18000 feet or so) and did not sleep at all both nights in both base camps. Still, I did not feel very tired during the days of the climb beyond the strain that the climb itself poses. I am confused why the Alps present such a problem to me, the much higher La Paz does not, and the higher Bolivian mountain again does.
To not annoy others with my getting up at 4 am or so I sometimes try to stay awake until 1 pm or so, then go to bed and then I only wake up at 6 am.
Regards
Matthias
Thanks for contributing to this ever growing article! As this seems to be such a common complaint, I wonder whether the bodies of some of those who normally suffer from insomnia (unrelated to altitude) are less efficient at absorbing oxygen?
Interesting stuff.
I finally slept after using a new product. It’s oxygen in a can from a Colorado company.
It’s called r-o2, and I have no connection to the company. I live in new jersey and had a real had time not sleeping at 8600 ft., this past December I slept great. I am going back in march and I hope I have the same luck, I will let the board know.
Stephen
P.s. I have posted my problem here before.
Thanks for sharing – please do keep us updated!
I recently spent several days around 10,000 ft and like others was wide awake most of the night. I have had problems sleeping at sea level before but found taking a calcium/ magnesium supplement and lower carb diet definitely helped the quality and length of sleep. Next time I go to a high elevation I’m going to up my calcium and really watch the carbs. Maybe it will help.
I just got home from Breckenridge Colorado. We were there 2 weeks, and I had trouble there with waking up through the night short of breath. I wondered if I was anxious and having panic attacks, but 2 things convince me that I wasnt….. 1) My husband also found this a problem, and….2) Now I’m home, it’s all gone away again.
I live in Boulder, CO at an elevation of 5400 feet. I am a 62 year old “peakbagger” and climb peaks up to 14,000 feet year round. I don’t overnight up on the mountains, I always come home to Boulder and sleep reasonably well.
I just returned from a 15 day trip to Ecuador and was sleeping between 8000 and 9000 feet every night. Or perhaps I should say not sleeping. I would go to bed exhausted at 10:00pm, sleep an hour; then wake up and stay that way until 3, 4, or 5; then maybe sleep a few more hours, fitfully at best. I would have the sensation of there not being enough oxygen in a normal breath and have to take repetitive deep sucking inhalations. Like others on this thread; I did not feel particularly sleep deprived during the day and seemed to have normal energy levels. Psychologically it was very difficult, those long stretches at night of yearning for sleep bordered on hellishness. Thanks for this forum, it’s a relief to find others out there with the same issue!
Thank you for this post. I’m on my second night in keystone Colorado, and for the second night in a row I’m laying here with a racing heart and shallow breathing. I have anxiety sometimes, and this sensation is definitely causing some anxiety. I can’t tell if I’m having panic attacks or altitude related symptoms. I’m extremely frustrated, and wondering if I want to ever come back.
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