[Sleep at Altitude]. / Schlaf in der Höhe.

Advancing infrastructure of mountain regions allows not only well-prepared mountaineers, but also elderly people with pre-existing illness the stay at high altitudes. Based on the hypoxic conditions, low oxygen saturation values are reached, which cause severe hypoxemia in the tissue. Symptoms of acute mountain sickness appear even at moderate altitude, which are manifested during sleep. Patients suffering from sleep apnea are at high risk, because of the obstructive ventilation disorder in combination with less oxygen availability. Concurrently, gender differences play a decisive role. Due to the respiratory stabilizing impact of estrogen, women are faster in adapting to altitude differences. A reduction of sleep duration and extended wake phases are shown, which causes lower sleep sufficiency. With continued rise of altitude, the arousal-index increases. For individual differences concerning altitude induced problems, individual acclimatization protocols are needed. Well prepared pre-acclimatization could prevent altitude induced sleep problems, as well as the treatment of such.

Effect of weekly hiking on cardiovascular risk factors in the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Hiking is one of the most popular activities among the elderly in Alpine regions. Due to the long-lasting, moderately intensive nature of this form of physical activity, hiking is generally considered to be beneficial to health. However, it is currently unclear whether once-weekly hiking--as commonly practiced at weekends--really does yield such positive effects in elderly persons aged 60 years and over. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the effect of a single weekly mountain hiking session on cardiovascular risk factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 9-month mountain hiking program was completed by 14 male (age 65.6 ± 2.7 years) and 10 female (age 66.2 ± 4.4 years) elderly participants. The program consisted of a single weekly hiking session with the goal of achieving a 500-m altitude increase within 3 h. Before and after the 9-month program, an electrocardiogram (ECG) was performed and blood pressure, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), high-density (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) measurements were made. RESULTS: The elderly participants showed a normal cardiovascular risk profile at the start of the investigation. The estimated net energy expenditure for one hiking session was approximately 521 ± 91 kcal. Over the 9-month period, no changes were found in any of the investigated parameters for the entire group. However, participants with untreated hypertension showed a reduced systolic blood pressure. CONCLUSION: The present investigation showed that moderate-intensity activity only at weekends does not improve cardiovascular risk factors in elderly persons with a relatively normal cardiovascular risk profile. Conversely, elderly persons suffering from hypertension might profit from such a practice.