Exercise Physiology in Extreme Environments Essay

Exercise Physiology in Extreme Environments - Essay Example The term hypoxia refers to a pathological condition in which the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply (Wikipedia, 2006a). Physiologists have long been astonished by the changes that occur with adaptation to altitude as the circulatory system attempts to compensate for the increased hypoxia by enhancing certain characteristics. Common reasoning asserts that if the characteristics of circulation at altitude are better than those of sea-level, then sea-level performances should be enhanced among these athletes. For example, training at altitude, anywhere above 3000 meters, increases the body’s number of red blood cells, thus the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen is greater. It seems reasonable that this would enhance sea-level performance as the high altitude athlete’s body uses oxygen more effectively which enables that individual to run farther and faster (Sutton, 1994). However, these assumptions of high altitude training are just that. Contradictory evidenc e suggests that high altitude training is not only ineffective, but the physiological events that occur in the body as a result can be harmful. Ascent to high altitude is accompanied by a progressive fall in barometric pressure and an accompanying fall in the partial pressure of oxygen. â€Å"As low-level dwellers, we are optimally equipped for existence at normal air pressure of 760 mm of mercury, with an oxygen concentration of 21 percent. With increasing altitude, the concentration of oxygen remains the same, but the atmospheric pressure decreases and with this the partial pressure of oxygen falls. This means that the number of oxygen molecules per breath is greatly reduced and this in turn reduces the amount of oxygen available to the blood and tissues in the body† (Quinn, n.d.). The resulting decrease in arterial oxygen saturation (hypoxaemia) triggers a cascade of physiological disturbances that ultimately result in an