Circadian and Sex Differences After Acute High-Altitude Exposure: Are Early Acclimation Responses Improved by Blue Light?

OBJECTIVE: The possible effects of blue light during acute hypoxia and the circadian rhythm on several physiological and cognitive parameters were studied. METHODS: Fifty-seven volunteers were randomly assigned to 2 groups: nocturnal (2200-0230 hours) or diurnal (0900-1330 hours) and exposed to acute hypoxia (4000 m simulated altitude) in a hypobaric chamber. The participants were illuminated by blue LEDs or common artificial light on 2 different days. During each session, arterial oxygen saturation (Spo2), blood pressure, heart rate variability, and cognitive parameters were measured at sea level, after reaching the simulated altitude of 4000 m, and after 3 hours at this altitude. RESULTS: The circadian rhythm caused significant differences in blood pressure and heart rate variability. A 4% to 9% decrease in waking nocturnal Spo2 under acute hypoxia was observed. Acute hypoxia also induced a significant reduction (4%-8%) in systolic pressure, slightly more marked (up to 13%) under blue lighting. Women had significantly increased systolic (4%) and diastolic (12%) pressures under acute hypoxia at night compared with daytime pressure; this was not observed in men. Some tendencies toward better cognitive performance (d2 attention test) were seen under blue illumination, although when considered together with physiological parameters and reaction time, there was no conclusive favorable effect of blue light on cognitive fatigue suppression after 3 hours of acute hypobaric hypoxia. CONCLUSIONS: It remains to be seen whether longer exposure to blue light under hypobaric hypoxic conditions would induce favorable effects against fatigue.

Age-related arrhythmogenesis on ascent and descent: "autonomic conflicts" on hypoxia/reoxygenation at high altitude?

PURPOSE: To discern whether arrhythmogenesis at high-altitude (HA) may differ depending on ascent or descent, as well as on age. METHODS: Male subjects (37.9±12.0 SD y, n=33) were separated into a young (Y) group (29.6±5.73 SD y, n=18) and an older (O) one (47.9±9.83 SD y, n=15). All subjects were monitored by Holter electrocardiography while successively ascending (41.2±7.51 SD min) and descending (38.7±6.68 SD min) between 2950 and 5050 m as car passengers on a 25 km road in Northern Chile. Arrhythmic events (AE) ensued when the difference between two consecutive RR intervals exceeded 0.16 sec. RESULTS: From 311 AE registered, 29% occurred on ascent and 71% on descent, the sinusal type predominating in both age groups. AE incidence, RR interval duration, and heart rate variability (HRV) in the time domain (RMSSD) increased during descent, as compared to ascent, in the Y group (p<0.05), but not in the O one. Independently of age, AE incidence along descent associates with the time previously spent at 5050 m (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Rapid transitions at HA favor arrhythmogenesis, the latter becoming evident particularly in the Y group on descent. Age-dependent changes of autonomic activity appear to be involved in arrhythmogenesis on transitions at HA.

Effects of oxygen supplementation on acute mountain sickness symptoms and functional capacity during a 2-kilometer walk test on Chajnantor plateau (5050 meters, Northern Chile).

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that administration of low-flow oxygen will improve physical performance in subjects unacclimatized to altitude. We evaluated the effects of oxygen supplementation on functional capacity and acute mountain sickness (AMS) symptoms in young, healthy male and female subjects who performed a 2-km fast walk test following rapid ascent to the Chajnantor plateau (5050 m above sea level) in Northern Chile. METHODS: The participants were randomly distributed into 2 groups according to oxygen supplementation levels: 1 or 3 L O(2) · min(-1). Within each group, males and females were evaluated separately. A preliminary walk test was carried out at sea level on a 100-m long, flat track with 10 U-turns. For the first walk at altitude, subjects carried the supplementary oxygen system but did not breathe the oxygen. Subjects received oxygen through a facemask the following day during the second test. The nights prior to altitude tests were spent at 2400 m in San Pedro de Atacama. RESULTS: Supplementary oxygen administration during a 2-km walk test significantly improved walking times at 5050 m. We also observed a significant improvement in AMS symptoms. As expected, however, performance was poorer at altitude compared to test values at sea level, despite supplementary oxygen administration. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate the beneficial effects of supplementary oxygen administration on physical capacity, reducing the incidence of AMS and, thus, improving health and safety conditions for high altitude workers following rapid ascent, when adequate acclimatization is not possible.