Next year, Mr. Nacho and I are headed to some high-altitude spots in Chile and Bolivia. San Pedro de Atacama, Chile is 2400 meters (about 8000 feet) above sea level and the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia are 3656 meters (about 12,000 feet). Where we live is around 300 feet above sea level.
It’ll be his first time in these areas, and my second. My first experience with extreme altitude was back in 2019, and let’s just say it taught me a lesson the hard way. Out of all the hours I spent researching that trip, the one thing I completely overlooked was preparing for altitude acclimatization. Big mistake.
My first night in Uyuni, Bolivia, was a crash course in what can happen in high-altitude conditions. I woke up in the middle of the night struggling to breathe. At first, I tried to power through it, lying still, hoping it would pass. But as the minutes ticked by, the discomfort only grew worse. I finally sat up, head throbbing, heart racing, and reached for a map I had of the town to find the closest hospital. Fortunately, it was within walking distance. I threw on my jacket and headed out.
My hotel room was on the 2nd floor of the hotel, so getting downstairs took a little bit of navigating and felt like moving through a haze. My vision blurred and got dark, and walking felt more like a disoriented stumble. When I made it to the lobby and reached for the door, it was locked. Panicking, I rang the bell until a sleepy-eyed front desk attendant appeared. He understood the situation quickly, brought me into the back office to sit me down, and handed me a mask connected to a tank of oxygen. We sat there while I took in oxygen, chatting as I inhaled what felt like relief itself. Once I’d calmed down, he offered me some altitude medication to take back to my room. With that, I shuffled back upstairs, hoping for better sleep.
The next day, I told my tour operator what had happened and she strongly suggested canceling my planned multi-day trip through the salt flats. Out there, emergency oxygen would be scarce, and medical help would not be easy to get. I eventually agreed.
Now that I’ve gone through that experience, I’m taking a different approach this time. I hope to do everything I can to get my body ready for the altitude (even if it may or may not actually help!). This means more cardio, breathing exercises, hydrating, cutting out alcohol, and—here’s the big one—easing off caffeine.
One reason easing off caffeine before a high-altitude trip can help is that caffeine acts as a diuretic. It can contribute to dehydration, which could make common altitude sickness symptoms like headaches and fatigue worse. That said, some articles mention that if you’re a regular coffee drinker, sticking with your usual caffeine intake could be fine at high altitudes. I’m a regular coffee drinker, so perhaps I’ll be okay. Even so, I’m still curious to see if I can reduce my intake and whether I notice any positive changes. As the trip approaches, I’ll decide whether I want to cut coffee out completely or not.
I’ve been averaging around 2-3 mugs of coffee a day, and it’s been a long time since I skipped a day with coffee. The few times I have, it’s been quite uncomfortable. But I’d rather handle caffeine withdrawal at home than altitude sickness out in South America.
I had zero days to acclimate that last time I traveled to Bolivia/Chile. This next time we’ll only have a day and a half to acclimatize before diving into our two-week adventure, but it’s better than nothing. This time I’ll also pack altitude meds and aim to be better prepared. Here’s hoping this preparation pays off.
I’m hoping to start a trial run in January to see if I can do it. Here’s my plan to gradually ease off coffee to minimize withdrawal symptoms:
Week 1: Gradual Reduction
- Days 1-3: Maintain my normal coffee intake but set a cutoff time of no more coffee after noon
- Days 4-7: Decrease coffee consumption by 25%. This means at my 2-3 mugs per day, this should be about 1.5 to 2.25 mugs
Week 2: Transition to Lower-Caffeine Options
- Days 8-10: Swap half of my coffee with decaf or black or green tea
- Days 11-14: Continue adjusting the balance so that by the end of the week, only 25% of my daily caffeine consumption is regular coffee.
Week 3: Fully Caffeine-Free
- Days 15-21: Replace any remaining regular coffee with decaf or caffeine-free herbal teas (to keep the habit of sipping something warm without the caffeine kick)
Week 4: Maintain the Routine if I’m feeling good
- Days 22+: If I’m feeling good and not craving coffee, I’ll continue with herbal teas each day! Otherwise I’ll switch back to coffee and start this routine as we get closer to our trip
I have read that adding extra sleep, light exercise, keeping hydrated, and snacks with protein or complex carbs should also help keep energy steady during the transition.
The main reason I started looking into this was to reduce the effects of altitude sickness, but now I’m also curious to see if this change might bring unexpected perks to my mood, focus, energy, or sleep. That’d be an added bonus!
