A change of climate can challenge your health.
New home, neighbors and weather conditions: Whether you’re headed to the high mountains of New Mexico, the rainy climate of Western Oregon or the icy terrain of Anchorage, Alaska, moving to a different part of the country can stress your body and mind in unexpected ways. Read on for expert tips on staying healthy and active wherever life takes you.
Colorado: adapting to altitude
The highest mountain peaks of Colorado top 14,000 feet, while a move to Denver takes you about 5,000 to 6,000 feet above sea level. “The higher you go, the longer it takes to adjust,” says Dr. Benjamin Honigman, a professor of emergency medicine at University of Colorado School of Medicine. It can take three months for the body to physiologically change, he says, by increasing the number of red blood cells to carry more oxygen. “That’s a big key for the circulation system and the lungs to adjust to the lower amount of oxygen,” he says.
Runner’s high?
If you’re an outdoor athlete, prepare to see a dip in performance when you switch to a higher elevation. “People who come here — runners for example — don’t really feel like they can get back to where they were at sea level for at least two to three months,” Honigman says. Elite athletes sometimes train but often prefer not to compete in high-altitude conditions. Among Olympic-style runners, he says: “If you were doing a 100-meter run, for instance, you’d never be able to do it as fast at 8,000 feet as you would at sea level.”
Medical caution
If you have a condition like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, moving to a mountain town might not be best. “The people who get in trouble medically are the ones that have underlying health conditions,” Honigman says. “The ones we worry about most are people with severe heart failure and people with lung problems, primarily like emphysema and bronchitis.” Sleep apnea gets worse at high altitudes with lower oxygen concentration, he says, adding, “It’s a big deal.” People with sickle cell disease or pulmonary hypertension might struggle, too. The good news: Emerging evidence suggests living at high altitudes may protect against heart disease over time.
Alaska: when the sun doesn’t set
OK, so it’s cold in Alaska. For most people, “cold is not really a factor,” says Dr. Ken Zafren, an emergency physician and medical director of the state’s emergency programs. “People’s houses are heated — I don’t live in an igloo.” Exposure risk from icy sled travel is low, Zafren says: “Our dogs’ names are Subaru and Toyota.” Short winter and long summer days do take some adjustment, however. “In the summer, Alaskans know to go to bed when they’re tired or at the right time, rather than wait for it to get dark,” he adds. “Because it doesn’t get dark in Anchorage [in the summer].”
Cold sensitivity
Frigid conditions can be harder on seniors who move to Alaska from the lower 48. “Older people tend not to be able to thermoregulate as well, so they may get colder more easily,” Zafren says, again pointing out that Alaskan houses are heated. Some retirees move from Alaska to Arizona to escape the cold climate, he says, just as others migrate from New York to Florida. At any age, cold is a trigger for people affected by Raynaud’s phenomenon, which causes sudden lack of blood flow to the hands and feet, turning them numb and purple. Raynaud’s is more common among people with conditions such as lupus and scleroderma.
Outdoor activity
Isolation can be a problem for some people who move to Alaska. “The fact is, for a lot of people, it’s far away from their family,” Zafren says. “They don’t have any kind of social contacts.” However, he says, other recent arrivals love it. “If you are not interested in outdoor activities at all, you might have a hard time in Alaska,” he says. “If you’re interested in outdoor activities, it’s paradise.” Cross-country skiing is a healthy aerobic sport, he says, perfect for winter exercise. Cold-weather gear, including shoes with microspikes for winter traction, lets runners keep going on icy and snowy surfaces.
Florida: dehydration haven
Seniors flock to Florida for its beautiful beaches and warm weather. But they often underestimate just how hot it gets. “Six months out of the year, we’ll have temperatures that are 90 degrees or greater,” says Dr. Rosemary Laird, executive medical director of Florida Hospital for Seniors. “As the body gets older, the mechanisms to reduce the body heat are less effective,” she says. Older adults are less likely to feel signals that they’re becoming thirsty and dehydrated and often don’t drink enough water. In addition, Laird says, “When you are dehydrated, you’re not going to perspire because you don’t have enough body water to perspire. That’s a really bad sign.”
Put a lid on it.
Wearing a hat is a simple solution for seniors enjoying the Florida sun. “Keeping the rays off your head actually does keep the core body temperature markedly lower,” Laird says. The trick is to decrease total exposed body surface. “If people want to take the grandkids to Disney or something, I tell them to wear a hat and get long-sleeved, lightweight clothes,” she says. “And then, just make sure they’re taking breaks in the air conditioning whenever they can.” It’s important to stay active, she adds. “Keep on exercising, but just adjust it,” she says, by working out in air conditioning or during the cooler part of the day.
Ohio River: allergy valley?
Certain locales with distinct types of vegetation and trees are more allergenic, says Dr. Sumita Khatri, co-director of the Cleveland Clinic Asthma Center. For instance, Atlanta pine trees coat outdoor surfaces with yellow pollen, making allergy sufferers miserable. Factors like pollen scores place Jackson, Mississippi, and Louisville, Kentucky, among the 2016 Spring Allergy Capitals from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. People who move to high-allergy areas can take steps to manage their surroundings, Khatri says, such as using air conditioners and showering before bed. However, she adds: “Some people are fine but several years later, their body’s immunity adapts in a way that is dysfunctional.”
Los Angeles: smoggy metropolis
Right away, you’ll feel smog’s effects when you land in a megacity, whether it’s in China, India or Southern California. Cough, burning eyes and nose and chest tightness can occur whether you have chronic breathing problems or not, Khatri says. People with respiratory problems considering a move can check out the American Lung Association’s 2016 State of the Air report. Based on ozone levels and air pollution, Los Angeles and Bakersfield, California, top the rankings for most polluted cities. The cleanest cities include Bellingham, Washington, and Farmington, New Mexico.
Reducing pollution’s harm
If you must move to a smoggy area, you can still protect your lungs, says Dr. Albert Rizzo, senior medical director for the American Lung Association. On high-ozone, bad air-quality days, it’s safer to mow the lawn in the early morning rather than the afternoon haze, and indoor workouts are better than outdoor jogs. Maintaining an air-conditioned environment is particularly important for people with chronic lung diseases, Rizzo says. “You’re just going to be more prone to the irritation that poor air quality can lead to,” he explains. “The ozone can lead to irritation of the airway, and the particulate matter [pollution] irritants can lead to spasms or asthma-type attacks.”
Northeastern humidity
During sticky summers, “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity,” is the motto for the U.S. Northeast. The body needs to adjust, says Rizzo, who is chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Christiana Care Health System, based in Wilmington, Delaware. “The main thing is to stay in an air-conditioned environment as much as possible [while in] high-humidity, high-heat areas,” he says. “Stay hydrated internally because it’s so humid you can’t really get rid of your body heat as easily.” Control indoor air by keeping the humidity around the 40 to 50 percent range, he advises. Too-moist conditions could cause indoor mold, while too-dry air is also a problem.
Oregon: overcast blues
Contrary to popular opinion, Oregon is not rainy throughout the state, says Judy Miller, a psychologist in the Portland area. “That’s only along the coastline in northwestern Oregon and west of the Cascade mountains,” she explains. There, skies tend to be gray and overcast with a slow, soft sort of rain. “About 10 percent of people in the Northwest get seasonal affective disorder in the winter, meaning they get depressed,” she says. “It’s driven by the indirect rays from the sun that come in the winter.” People of Northern European heritage are more often affected by SAD, which has a genetic component, she notes.
Easing SAD symptoms
Light therapy is one tool for seasonal affective disorder, but not necessarily the most effective, Miller says. Instead, talk and behavioral therapy counteract mood issues for many people. “One thing I recommend is that they go to their front door early in the morning when they get up, before or after breakfast, and they walk 7.5 minutes away from the front door and turn around and walk back,” she says. “It does get them out into the fresh air. You still get some rays from the sun even if it’s an overcast day or raining.” Working on a healthier diet, addressing family problems and encouraging people to socialize also help.
Las Vegas: urban heat island
Sweltering cities that are much hotter than surrounding rural areas are known as heat islands, and Las Vegas, at 24 degrees hotter than nearby rural areas, topped the charts in a Climate Central report. Among the top 10 most intense summer heat islands, the District of Columbia reached No. 6 and Columbus, Ohio, was No. 8. “Trees help mitigate extreme temperatures,” Khatri says. “All these concrete jungles we have don’t absorb the heat.” Extreme heat can make people sick. In these surroundings, air conditioning isn’t a luxury — it’s a must.
Test-drive new climates.
Every asthma patient is different, Khatri says, so it’s not easy to predict how moving to a new region will affect someone. Make a test visit first, she suggests. “I would recommend that you go and maybe stay there for a little while and see how you feel,” she says. “And go visit in different seasons.” Rizzo seconds that advice. “It’s best to see how you react to an environment before you commit,” he says. If you have a chronic condition and you’re weighing the merits of moving, do your homework so you know what to expect in terms or air quality, temperature and seasonal changes, he advises.
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16 Ways Your Body Adjusts to a New Climate originally appeared on usnews.com
