Drunken oxygen is due to the fact that the human body has just adapted to the low-oxygen environment in the plateau area, and when it re-enters the area with relatively high oxygen content, it will be uncomfortable again, resulting in fatigue, weakness, drowsiness, chest tightness, dizziness, diarrhea and other symptoms, which will produce a so-called "deadaptation reaction" or "hypogenogen reaction". In medicine, it is also commonly known as "drunken oxygen disease".

Brief introduction

Drunk oxygen

After working at high altitude for a long time and returning to live in the plains, I feel very lazy, and people will be dizzy and want to sleep, as if they are drunk. This is equivalent to "drunk oxygen". The reason is that the human body has just adapted to the low-oxygen environment in the plateau area, and re-enters the area with relatively high oxygen content, and the discomfort will occur again, resulting in fatigue, weakness, drowsiness, chest tightness, dizziness, diarrhea and other symptoms, which will produce a so-called "deadaptation reaction" or "hypogen reaction". In medicine, it is also commonly known as "drunken oxygen disease". There is no need to panic about this situation, because the "drunken oxygen" produced after a short trip is generally not serious, and the doctor advises, "Come back and rest for a few days and then work, and you can recover." In addition, qualified tourists can "retreat step by step" and evacuate from high-altitude areas in a "step-by-step" manner, which helps to alleviate "drunk oxygen".

"Drunken oxygen---- people who live in hypoxic areas on the plateau, in order to adapt to the hypoxic environment, the compensatory red blood cells have an enhanced ability to carry oxygen to meet the needs of the body. When people return to the plains from high altitudes, the oxygen content of the air increases, and the body has not yet adapted to this high oxygen environment, and the red blood cells are still transporting oxygen with high efficiency and high quality, so that they will be "drunk with oxygen".

manifestation

People who are new to the plateau have a compensatory reaction, that is, an increase in hemoglobin, shortness of breath, and an increase in heart rate. Over time, the human body has developed a certain adaptability to the hypoxic environment of the plateau. From the plateau to the plain, there is a change from a low-oxygen environment to a normo-oxygen environment, and the body's original physiological adaptation to the plateau becomes a thing of the past, and the "historical task" is completed, and it will gradually be relieved or faded. This change is known as "deadaptation".

This "deadaptation" reaction may cause symptoms such as tiredness, weakness, drowsiness, chest tightness, dizziness, and diarrhea, just like being drunk. For some people, due to physical reasons, physiological abnormalities such as blood, heart, and lungs will continue to decline after returning to the normal value, or even lower than the plain value. Some people also experience symptoms such as decreased hemoglobin levels, slow heart rate, increased cardiac output and blood volume, and reversal of pulmonary hypertension after living in the plains for two consecutive years, which can have adverse consequences for the body.

effect

Symptoms such as tiredness, fatigue, drowsiness, chest tightness, dizziness, hunger, and diarrhea may occur. These conditions vary in degree and duration depending on the time of plateau activity and the altitude reached, and generally disappear on their own in 1-2 weeks.

"Drunken oxygen" is actually "oxygen poisoning", which is a normal physiological reaction of the human body, just like altitude sickness. Although the harm to the human body is far less than that of altitude sickness, if you are not careful, it can also have adverse effects on the body.

ease

To deal with "drunk oxygen", we need to pay attention to these aspects:

(1) Pay attention to rest

The journey is already hard, and with the "drunken oxygen", you need to rest well and recover your state and physical fitness after you come back.

(2) Pay attention to your diet

Eat more antioxidant foods, eat more vegetables and vitamins, and drink less alcohol.

Tomatoes, oranges, strawberries, soy products, tea and other foods are rich in vitamin E, vitamin C, tea polyphenols, soy isoflavones and other food components, with strong antioxidant effect, which is beneficial to the prevention and treatment of "drunk oxygen".

People with more severe symptoms can also take vitamin E.

(3) Drink plenty of water

Drink about 2-3 liters of water a day.

suggestion

From the lower plateau to the plain, a "step-by-step" precautionary measure should be taken. For example, go down from 5,000 meters to 3,000 meters, rest for a period of time and then go to a lower place, and if necessary, you can also enter the hyperbaric oxygen chamber for 1-2 treatments, and the symptoms of "drunk oxygen" can be alleviated.

Related information

A person who goes without food for a few days has the potential to survive, while stopping breathing for a few minutes (i.e., not inhaling oxygen) can die quickly. The human body does not get enough oxygen, first of all, it damages the nerve cells of the brain, and as long as the lack of oxygen for a few minutes, the brain will be irreversibly damaged and brain death will occur. Although oxygen is so important to the human body, from a medical and physiological point of view, any medicine and supplements should be in moderation, and oxygen, as an important vital substance for the human body, is no exception. Excessive use of oxygen is not only unhelpful, but also harmful. Scientists have found that animals inhaling pure oxygen will have poisoning manifestations, and people are the same, if the human body is put into a pure oxygen environment with atmospheric pressure, oxygen poisoning pneumonia will occur when it exceeds 24, and finally die due to respiratory failure.

Oxygen toxicity is closely related to oxygen inhalation time, and the longer the time, the more likely it is to develop oxygen toxicity. Oxygen entering the body will produce oxygen free radicals, which are extremely active and flow around the body, attacking and killing various cells, causing metabolic and functional disorders of cells and organs, and can promote gene mutations to induce cancer. Of course, there is oxidation and antioxidation, which is a kind of self-protection ability of the human body. In the natural state of healthy people, the oxidative and antioxidant movements in the body are in a dynamic balance.

Oxygen therapy is mainly to provide oxygen to patients to ensure their basic life activities and promote disease remission, which has become an extremely important method in clinical medicine. In principle, oxygen treatment should be carried out whenever there is hypoxia, such as dyspnea, gas poisoning, shock, heart failure, plateau hypoxia and other conditions need to be inhaled as soon as possible, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in remission, in order to improve the quality of life, long-term family oxygen therapy is now also advocated.

The basic principle of oxygen therapy is to ensure that the body has a sufficient supply of oxygen without causing adverse reactions. For this reason, different oxygen delivery methods should be given as needed, and the commonly used oxygen therapy methods include controlled oxygen therapy, high-concentration oxygen therapy, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Because the method, time and course of oxygen inhalation are closely related to the occurrence of oxygen poisoning, and the knowledge of these aspects has a high degree of professionalism, it is best to carry out reasonable oxygen inhalation under the guidance of doctors, so as to achieve advantages and avoid disadvantages, and give full play to the role of oxygen as a source of life.