How the Altitude in Cusco will affect you when you first arrive

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Tuesday October 01, 2024 - Posted by webmaster to Spanish Schools in Latin America

How the Altitude in Cusco will affect you when you first arrive

It is one of the Frequently Asked Questions from students who have registered for one of our Spanish courses in Peru: how will the altitude in Cusco affect my body?

Will I get soroche (altitude sickness?= Will I be bothered by the altitude? Will I be strong enough to live and learn Spanish in Cusco at 3400 meters above sea level? And what should I do to avoid soroche?

Fortunately, we can always confirm that altitude is rarely a problem for our Spanish students*. We recommend resting upon arrival, and take it easy during the first days so your body can adjust to the altitude before starting the Spanish classes in Cusco.

Arrival to Cusco

What really happens in your body when we arrive at the altitude in Cusco?

With each breath, you inhale a certain amount of oxygen. Your body is accustomed to this respective amount. If you go to a higher-elevation city like Cusco (2500 m or more; the altitude in Cusco is 3400 m above sea level), you will most likely experience symptoms of altitude sickness.

Why? In higher elevations, the air pressure is less. This means that although the oxygen percentage in the air stays the same, you will still take in less oxygen with each breath because the air is less dense, or “thinner”. (This is one of the reasons airplanes are equipped with pressure equalization.)

The term “altitude sickness” implies that there is a cure for it. However, there isn’t. Practically the only cure would be to return to a lower altitude. You can, however, treat the individual symptoms.

How altitude in Cusco will affect your body

When you first arrive, you may have trouble sleeping because there is less oxygen than you are used to. So you may wake up a couple times a night. If you are struggling with your sleep, you can ask your host family for home remedies or your school doctor.

Would you like to take Spanish lessons in Cusco?

Contact us or learn more here.

One reason our host families serve breakfast and lunch rather than breakfast and dinner is that digestion is slower at this higher altitude.

The locals in Cusco don’t eat meals late at night or don’t dine at all. It would take longer for food to digest, which may affect your sleep if you eat later. In Peru, breakfast and lunch are larger meals than in the Western world, where people tend to eat larger meals later in the evening.

What are the symptoms of altitude sickness?

Not everyone shows symptoms in the same manner, and not everyone is affected by altitude sickness in the first place.

The most common symptoms of altitude sickness, or soroche, as it is called in Peru, that you will experience during the first hours or first days in Cusco are:

Nausea
Dizziness
Headache
Difficulty breathing

In more serious* cases, symptoms can include:

Heart racing
Vomiting
Diarrhea or constipation

* This does not happen very often.

Should you really feel bad and should your symptoms not lessen after 72 hours, you’d better consult a doctor.

In a very exceptional case, the doctor will recommend getting yourself to a lower altitude, especially if you suffer from lung or heart problems.

Did you know that AMAUTA Spanish School is happy to count on in-house medical assistance? There is a doctor available for you, 24 hours a day.

If you want to travel to a lower altitude, you can consider studying Spanish at our Spanish school in the Sacred Valley of the Incas or at our Spanish School in Lima.

What can you do to lessen the effects of altitude sickness?

Here are some tips to combat the symptoms of altitude sickness upon arrival in Cusco:

Don’t exhaust yourself.
As mentioned, you are used to a certain oxygen level. Changing this requires you to adapt, and it´s best not to put more stress on your system. Don’t do hikes or any types of workouts on the first days at a higher elevation. It will also help to take deep breaths.

Drink plenty of water.
Altitude sickness is hard to differentiate from dehydration. In any case, provide your body with plenty of water to stay properly hydrated and support it while acclimating to the different oxygen levels. Besides water, there are many Peruvian herb teas that are a nice alternative to water: mate de manzanilla, mate de anis, mate de coca.. Indeed, that’s coca tea.

Stay away from alcohol.
Drinking alcohol will put additional strain on your body. As mentioned above, you might want to give yourself some rest during the first days of acclimation. Studies also show that alcohol has a stronger effect at higher altitudes. This means that you will get drunk faster than you are used to, so it’s important to be careful.

Take baby steps to higher levels.
If possible, ascend slowly to higher altitudes. If possible, travel by bus or car instead of by plane in order to adjust day by day. If on a hiking trip, it is important not to climb more than 1000 meters per day.

Take medicine to reduce the symptoms.
Pharmacies do offer medicine against altitude sickness. Once you identify your symptoms, you can find medicine to minimize the discomfort.

Consult a local doctor and get oxygen supplements.
As mentioned, not everyone reacts to altitude the same way. Some people show severe symptoms, whereas others experience less or none at all. In severe cases, however, you should consider seeing a doctor to receive supplemental oxygen from a tank.