Are altitude headaches a thing?
Are altitude headaches a thing? When you're in the mountains to ski, hike, or just take in the view, you could get head pain from something called an altitude headache. It's a symptom of altitude sickness, which happens when you go to higher elevations. The problem usually starts when you're 8,500 feet above sea level.
Why am I so sensitive to altitude?
The higher up you go, the thinner the atmosphere gets. That means breathing in the same amount of air gets you less oxygen than at a lower altitude. Altitude sickness happens when your body has trouble adjusting to the difference in how much oxygen you're getting with each breath.
Can you get altitude sickness on a plane?
Delayed signs and symptoms of altitude DCS can occur after return to ground level whether or not they were present during flight. Altitude DCS is a risk every time you fly in an unpressurized aircraft above 18,000 feet (or at lower altitude if you SCUBA dive prior to the flight).