
Ask HN: Elevation Something to Consider When Deciding Where to Live? - shiny
After reading about how CO2 build up in offices can contribute to lower cognitive performance [1], when considering places to live, I automatically discount elevated places, like Denver, due to fearing similar cognitive degrading effects of having less available oxygen.  This is compounded by anecdotes, like TJ Dillashaw moving closer to sea level due to reduced recovery ability when training in Denver [2].<p>We know that Tibetans have genetic adaptions to living at high altitudes [3], suggesting it&#x27;s less than ideal for &quot;ordinary&quot; people to live that high.  The question is whether it&#x27;s also less-than-ideal to live even 2k feet above sea level and it&#x27;s just a matter of severity?<p>In other words, will a human (let’s say a programmer) living at sea level perform the same as a “fully adapted” person living at 2,200 feet (all else equal)?<p>Thank you.<p>[1]: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;medium.com&#x2F;@dhh&#x2F;air-quality-matters-but-dont-trust-foobot-on-it-e2df4234a776<p>[2]: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youtu.be&#x2F;BB7tpgwvg1g?t=4110<p>[3]: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;High-altitude_adaptation_in_humans#Tibetans_2
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broahmed
Just want to point out that these are two different things:

1\. detrimental effects of too much CO2

2\. detrimental effects of too little O2

The short and long-term effects of both may be very different. The human body
can adapt to the low O2 at high altitudes given enough time[0], but I don't
know if the same applies to high levels of CO2.

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altitude_sickness#Prevention](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altitude_sickness#Prevention)

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shiny
Right, I didn't mean to imply they were the same, it's just reading about
elevated CO2 helped to trigger the altitude fear.

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cimmanom
Some Olympic-level athletes deliberately train at high altitudes because the
body responds by making more red blood cells in order to make the most of what
oxygen is available. This then gives them an advantage when competing at lower
altitudes.

So basically, if you moved to Denver and maintained your current activity
level, your body would adapt within a few weeks.

Also, Denver for one is not all _that_ high, even at 5k feet. Visiting there
for a few days after several years spent at sea level didn’t result in any
noticeable altitude sickness symptoms for me, just somewhat decreased stamina
for aerobic activity. (Whereas a few hours spent driving over the continental
divide at nearly triple the altitude did trigger very obvious altitude
sickness symptoms such as dehydration, sleepiness, and headache.)

