Why can’t I sleep at altitude? Is sleeplessness due to elevation really a thing?

Sleeplessness at altitude IS indeed a thing. Research indicates that up to 74% of travelers visiting 9,000+ feet, an elevation on par with many US ski resorts, experience difficulty falling and staying asleep their first week at altitude.¹ It’s not uncommon for visitors to much lower-elevation destinations such as Denver (5,280 feet) or Salt Lake City (4,265 feet) to report sleep challenges.

I know this issue well. I (Will, the founder of ALTISNOOZE) struggled with sleeping at elevation for years before learning that not only is it a thing, but it’s pervasive.

Early in my research, when I was simply trying to understand why I couldn’t sleep at altitude, I consulted prominent sleep expert Dr. Michael Breus. It turned out, he had personal experience with sleep difficulties at altitude. He encouraged me to research “altitude insomnia” on PubMed. I quickly discovered an avalanche of research going back decades documenting the phenomenon and how common it is for high-altitude visitors.

The root cause of sleeplessness at elevation is hypoxia, a lack of oxygen. Your brain isn’t getting its normal level of oxygen, and that has two common effects:

1) It can disrupt your natural sleep chemistry.

2) It can cause a phenomenon called intermittent breathing – a kind of apnea where breathing pauses for a short period, perhaps 5 to 10 seconds. Your brain sends an alert to wake you up and take a big gasp of air. This can happen many times during the night. Like other apneas, those experiencing it often don’t recall the brief wake-ups, but needless to say it can wreck your sleep quality.

These two hypoxia-driven issues can occur separately or together, spelling poor sleep across-the-board: difficulty falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, waking up early, and overall poor sleep architecture (a fancy word for your quality of sleep, such as how much REM and deep, restorative sleep you get.)

Interestingly, even among those who think they sleep well when they go to altitude, if they use a wearable device, the sleep data often tells a different story. If you use a wearable device, I encourage you to compare your sleep data at altitude to your sleep at home.

Unlike ALTISNOOZE, typical sleep aids, even prescription-based medications, don’t do anything to address the underlying cause of altitude insomnia: the lack of oxygen.

Altitude insomnia can be exacerbated by a host of other factors (all of which ALTISNOOZE is designed to help with).

• Stress related to travel. Many who go to altitude are sleeping in a new bed, in a new environment and adjusting to the physical and mental stress of travel, which can include jet lag.

• Symptoms of altitude sickness. Common symptoms of elevation such as headache and nausea don’t do your sleep any favors. While they are related, there’s evidence that altitude sickness is a distinct phenomenon from altitude insomnia, and the two may or may not occur together.

• Other supplements for altitude sickness. This one surprises a lot of people, but many of the supplements on the market for altitude sickness contain energizing herbs such as Rhodiola that are known to promote wakefulness—the opposite of what someone having sleep issues at altitude would want.

• Poor sleep hygiene. If you have trouble sleeping at home and it’s due to not having healthy sleep habits, that’s going to complicate matters at elevation.

How does ALTISNOOZE help you beat altitude insomnia? We delve more deeply into it in another blog post here, but the TLDR is that ALTISNOOZE works in 3 ways, 

1. ALTISNOOZE helps boost your body’s natural ability to start oxygenating more efficiently at altitude. This removes the unique barrier to sleep that occurs at elevation. The oxygenation support can also help with symptoms of altitude sickness like headache or nausea. We recommend taking ALTISNOOZE starting the night before you travel to elevation. This helps get the adaptogens working and leveling up your oxygenation capacity.

2. ALTISNOOZE also provides gentle sleep support with ingredients like Magnesium, L-Theanine, and GABA. This goal is to help you fall asleep and get back to your normal sleep chemistry, despite headwinds related to altitude and the stresses of travel. 

3. ALTISNOOZE also promotes hydration and recovery with electrolytes, antioxidants, and trace minerals – an area where many visiting high-elevation destinations could use some support.

In addition to taking advantage of ALTISNOOZE to help you acclimate more quickly and restore normal sleep, there are a few other things you can do minimize the effects of altitude, both for sleep and beyond. The more sensitive you are to elevation, the more you may want to consider it: 

• Gain elevation gradually. Driving is better than flying. Consider ascending in stages. For example, if you’re traveling from the East Coast for a ski trip in Breckenridge (~9,000 feet), consider a night in Denver (~5,000 feet) to help acclimate.
• Take it easy on your first day. This will help give your body and brain some time to catch up to the lower level of oxygen.
• Stay hydrated. The air elevation typically has less moisture in it. This can cause you to get dehydrated, which in turns can lead to headaches and feeling fatigued.

I’m quite proud of ALTISNOOZE. It’s innovative, one-of-a-kind, and it’s been a personal game changer for enjoying my trips to altitude.

We offer a moneyback guarantee because we’re confident ALTISNOOZE can help most people. The reality is no supplement is going to work for everyone, all the time, in all circumstances.

But if you struggle with sleeping at elevation, we’d rather you try it worry-free and if you don’t feel it helped, we will gladly refund your money.

We hope this has been helpful and clarified the causes of altitude insomnia and empowered you with ways that you can combat it and enjoy your stay at elevation much more. We welcome any feedback.

Here’s to getting out and enjoying the rare air at altitude.

-- SOURCES --

1. “Sleep at Altitude,” High Altitude Health, April 2019