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I’m assuming you use a CPAP. I have sleep apnea and went to Cuzco Peru at 11200 ft. for most of a week and had no problems sleeping or using my CPAP. I asked my doctor if there was a setting I needed because of the extreme elevation and he said no. But I think they can be adjusted if need be. I did have a sick day while there that might have been due to the elevation but I walked everywhere and had other no real problems. I live at 5500 ft. but moved here from 800 ft. with sleep apnea. Some folks need oxygen with their CPAP but I don’t so there could be a difference there.
Extremely good advice for us cluster headache sufferers. I fell in love with NM landscapes but this could be a problem, among several others poised to kill off my NM retirement dream. Silver City was big on my list, but everyone there's worried that if the mines even just downsize Grant County could become a veritable ghost town in a month, as the local newspaper said that local and state officials have done next to nothing to diversify their economy. Of course, this is just as bad for retirees as it would be for young people trying to find decent jobs. Mining in Grant accounts for something like 15% of employment among Grant's ~ 28K population, 1K of which left last year likely to seek work elsewhere. Ironically, housing in and around Silver is not exactly cheap, though land may be. I would like to build my ~ $400K retirement home there but other conditions there seem too uncertain. I thought of Las Cruces but housing and land there is even more costly. And places in between Silver and Cruces like Deming offer little more than violent crime and burglaries. Perhaps Los Lunas (the "good" lower crime part), ~ 4.4K ft or mile high Rio Rancho.
What is a cluster headache? Never heard of that term.
Took me about 3 months to get fully acclimatized at age 56. I know people who moved here in their 60s who moved away again due to a combination of altitude affecting their health, or allergies, or both. I include allergies because asthma can become an issue when allergic.
I suggest staying for a few months to see how you are affected.
I would say come and stay awhile before making any commitment.
What is a cluster headache? Never heard of that term.
The condition affects about 0.1% of the general population at some point in their life and 0.05% in any given year.[5] The condition usually first occurs between 20 and 40 years of age.[2] Men are affected about four times more often than women.[5] Cluster headaches are named for the occurrence of groups of headache attacks (clusters).[1] They have also been referred to as "suicide headaches".[2]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_headache#Pain Other than oxygen, which I won't use, there's not much else for pain except sumatriptan (imetrex). You have to always keep on guard for any signs of mounting cranial or neck pain and then head for the pills ASAP. Otherwise the attack can sneak up on you and you have to keep popping pills while racked with pain. The pain can then subside and then rebuild for two or as many as four days before the next period several weeks later. As the wiki report says only ~ 0.1% ever get these so it's no wonder why you haven't heard of them.
As for risks of getting hit with cluster headaches attacks anymore often due to higher altitudes typical of many places in the West, that is no longer an issue. Thanks to human induced climate change my lifelong dream of buying or building my retirement home in NM-or in any western state-is now totally up in smoke. The consequences of ongoing climate change will only get worse no matter where you live, but the increasing size, duration, frequency and/or prevalence of western wildfires has killed off most of my relocation plans.
Last edited by Longislandmire; 05-12-2022 at 04:42 PM..
Took me about 3 months to get fully acclimatized at age 56. I know people who moved here in their 60s who moved away again due to a combination of altitude affecting their health, or allergies, or both. I include allergies because asthma can become an issue when allergic.
I suggest staying for a few months to see how you are affected.
I would say come and stay awhile before making any commitment.
That's probably the best advice. We moved here six years ago, and I was 54 at the time. We had visited for years, and honestly did not realize what the altitude was until we started researching the move. My wife and I are lucky in that respect, we never reacted to the altitude nor did we after we moved here.
But, we both also drink tons of water every day and did before we got to these heights, which helps a lot of issues.
Allergies and asthma are another issue. I would suggest spending some time here around April to get a feel for that.
The advice about coming and staying for a while before committing is excellent....for any major move. I would also suggest spending some time in whatever the locals say is "the worst time of year" before any move. The number of people I have met over the years in various locations that moved somewhere based on spending a single or several of visits in "the best time of year" has always amazed me. As an example, whodathunk it gets very hot and humid in Florida in summer? You might be amazed at the number of people who retire there based on spending time there in winter and spring, and then discover they find summers unbearable.
IMO, our biggest test for people in Santa Fe is spring due to winds and allergens people may have never been exposed to before (neither of which are a problem for me). Others here may have a different, and quite valid, opinion and rationale.
At 73 the altitude does not bother me here except when I get off a plane at the airport. For some reason the first half hour is a bit dizzy and tiresome. Of course, you have to be busy getting your luggage and getting to your car or other transportation, so it is a little odd for a bit. My primary reaction when I moved here was due to the low humidity. It took a few weeks for my skin to become accustomed to single digit humidity. The other thing is the sun. We have reasonable temperatures in the summer months, but the sun will get you if you don't wear a hat and have eye protection.
Always have water handy and actually drink it.
I had allergies where I was raised and lived for 60+ years but they went away when I moved here...for about six weeks and then I got new ones. I know someone who moved away due to the Juniper pollen.
Santa Fe and Albuquerque have a very good practitioner, who has a highly effective allergy elimination technique. One treatment usually resolves the problem, in some cases two are needed. After that, you're pollen-proof for years. The treatment costs the same as an acupuncture session. It's not a big deal, and gets amazing results. If anyone wants contact info for this magic person, you may DM me. He can treat food allergies, chemical sensitivities, and a variety of other issues.
I can tell you one thing. When I visit NM and go to places that are like 4K or higher I do fine on flat ground but I am completely gassed if I try to walk up hill.
I am scheduled for a hike going up a steep hill in White Sands in September. You have made me nervous!
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