The Research and Development of the High Altitude Sleeping System: HASS
Abstract
Various negative physiological effects of sleeping at high elevations increase dramatically above 12,000 feet. These effects include dehydration, hypothermia, susceptibility to respiratory tract infection, high altitude sleep apnea, severe fatigue, and other ailments of varying severity. Until now, technology has done very little to address these problems. Working in the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Biological Altitude Testing Laboratory, undergraduate David de la Garza and I developed a High Altitude Sleeping System called HASS. HASS is a lightweight, inexpensive, and easy‑to‑use device that can drastically reduce or even prevent many of the maladies noted above. This project sets out the research, design, and fielding‑testing of a working prototype of HASS.
What happens to the body when people breathe at higher elevations?
On high mountains, the air is cold and completely dry. As inhaled air passes through the nose or mouth, it is warmed and humidified, sucking both heat and water from the body, and these are not recovered during exhalation. On the highest mountains where breathing is so greatly increased; this heat and water loss cannot be sustained for very long. Dehydration exaggerates the impacts of hypothermia and hypoxia. —Dr. Charles Houston, MD
Why are these effects important, and what can we do about them?
As the preceding quote attests, climbers (as well as other high altitude adventurers) risk hypothermia and hypoxia from the extreme cold, low humidity, and decreased air pressure. Furthermore, they risk impaired judgment and reflexes due to the effects of sleep apnea. All of these factors combined can greatly contribute to the danger involved in mountaineering or trekking. These symptoms are generally associated with or become very acute during sleep. However, technology has done little to improve sleeping environments for people at high altitude. Working in the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Biological Altitude Testing Laboratory, undergraduate David de la Garza and I developed a High Altitude Sleeping System called HASS. HASS is a lightweight, inexpensive, and easy‑to‑use device that can drastically reduce or even prevent many of the maladies noted above (especially when sleeping above 12,000 feet). Our goal was to research, design, and field‑test a working prototype of HASS that would alleviate these ailments by maintaining a sleeping climber’s lungs comfortably warm and hydrated while increasing her respiration rate throughout the night.
How does HASS help with sleep?
HASS is designed to reduce the overall stress placed on the human body while sleeping at high altitude.
In recent studies, it was discovered that most of the foods that Americans consumed are foods which had gone through so many processes and thereby losing most of its nutritional values. Unhealthy nutrients are also been added to foods as additive during production to either preserve flavor or enhance its taste and appearance. An individual cannot simply trust what he or she is consuming at a fast food restaurant or even a cheap prepared meal at a grocery store. Processed food or western diet needs to be replaced and totally taken out of the American life and diet; this will help the Americans to live a healthier life, and spend less on medical bills.
There acclimatization process is that they will make one day round trips to the next camp 2,000 feet up to acclimatize. When they set out for their first trip Krakauer see a lot of the group putting on new boots that have not been worn and he gets worried. Also a lot of them haven't climbed in over a year.
Hemingway provides the reader with insight into this story, before it is even read, through the title. The girl in the story mentions the hills that can be seen from the train station and describes them as looking like white elephants. Jig is at a crossroads in her life, accompanied by her partner. She is pregnant and cannot decide whether to choose life for the baby, or to get an abortion. Throughout the story, she experiences persistent uncertainty over what she wants to do with her life. Whatever decision she makes will have a drastic impact in her later years as a woman. While seated at the bar inside the train station, the girl says, “The hills look like white elephants” (Hemingway). The hills that are spotted in the distance directly parallel the decision that Jig must make. Critic Kenneth Johnston was recorded stating, “A white elephant is a rare pale-gray variety of an Asian elephant held sacred by the Burmese and Siamese. The girl’s reverence for life is captured by this meaning of the phrase.” Johnston also says, “A white ...
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My heart was racing and my legs were burning as we ascended. I kept waiting for the view to open up as the fog, clouds, and mist continued to cloak our group. After a grueling 12,000 feet and five hours into our trek, we saw snow and ice. At 12,000 feet, last night’s rain had turned into ice at this high altitude. We were struggling against the adverse conditions, working as a team but only able to progress another 1,000 feet up. Ben told us that he decided it was not safe to proceed further.
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