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Hypobaric Chambers

While mild hyperbaric chambers simulate low altitude and high barometric pressure, another type of device does the opposite. Hypobaric chambers simulate higher altitude and low pressure. The hypobaric chamber offers individuals exposure to a high-altitude environment while at rest—while napping, reading, and relaxing, or sleeping through the night—with normal training taking place at the level of altitude where they live. This provides the convenience of “living high and training low.” In most cases, athletes sleep in the hypobaric chambers, and each night they obtain a variety of high-altitude benefits. Others spend a shorter time in the chamber during the day reading, working, or napping.

Hypobaric chambers are not as portable as the small inflatable mild hyperbaric chambers. But my use of these high-altitude simulators, both personally and with athletes, has also been very positive. The most dramatic benefit of hypobaric exposure is the increase in your body’s natural production of EPO (erythropoietin), which begins almost immediately with hypobaric exposure. EPO stimulates the production of more red blood cells, which increase the body’s oxygen-carrying capacity, or ability to get oxygen to working muscles, by as much as 150 percent. In addition, more blood vessels are developed and a significant overall improvement in sports performance can be attained. It’s obviously more healthy and natural to increase your EPO this way than to inject synthetic EPO (which is illegal for most people and dangerous) or use other blood-doping methods (also illegal and dangerous). The result is improved oxygen-carrying capacity and dramatic performance enhancements—all obtained legally and healthfully.

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The time necessary to obtain these benefits depends on the individual and the elevation used in the chamber, which can be adjusted to simulate various altitudes. One study showed significant benefits could begin in as little as thirty minutes. The effects of shorter periods of exposure are well substantiated by other research as well. Another study showed a three-fold increase in EPO production after only eighty-four minutes in a hypobaric environment equal to about 13,000 feet elevation. The dramatic effectiveness of hypobaric therapy in athletes might be best exemplified by a group that used a chamber in preparation for an ascent on Mount Everest. The climbers used hypobaric chambers for four days, averaging nine and a half hours per night, before their climb. On Mount Everest, the speed of ascent was much quicker (5,600 meters of altitude gain in six days), whereas in conventional expeditions, twelve to thirty-two days are generally necessary to safely reach the same altitude.

Other fitness and health benefits of using a hypobaric chamber include increases in total blood volume, hematocrit, capillaries, mitochondria volume, and oxygen utilization. These benefits also translate directly into performance increases. One study demonstrated a nearly 4 percent improvement in running speed after only nine days of using the chamber. For a person who runs a 35:00 10K race, that would be an improvement of 1:24, improving the time to 33:36. For a three-hour marathoner, this would equate to more than a seven-minute improvement. For someone who goes ten hours in an Ironman event, this would equate to shaving off thirty minutes—and give him a 9:30 time!

Once again, it’s important to emphasize that the use of a hypobaric chamber should be done only when you are already fit and healthy. Care should be taken to avoid entering the first stage of overtraining, and using a heart-rate monitor becomes even more important if you’re using a hypobaric chamber. And, its use may be best started during a base period. This is because both overtraining and anaerobic workouts increase the risk of inflammation, which can reduce EPO production.

Precisely how long higher levels of EPO, red blood cells, hematocrit, and other measurable factors can be maintained is not known due to individual variation, as well as time and consistency of exposure. One study showed that regular hypobaric chamber use maintained elevated EPO levels for up to twenty days of not using the chamber. The more fit and healthy you are, the better response you will most likely achieve.

The ideal option for an athlete is to monitor progression through blood tests. This may be done using a simple finger prick for some evaluations. More extensive testing, during and after a period of hypobaric therapy, and may include the following:

• A complete blood count (CBC) to monitor red-cell count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit gives a more complete picture of physiological benefits.
• Testing levels of iron, ferritin, folic acid, vitamin B12, and other nutrients provides information to ensure athletes have the raw materials to obtain optimal benefits from hypobaric exposure.
• The C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) are important tests to help rule out inflammation.

Both diet and nutrition can have a significant influence on the effectiveness of hypobaric therapy in an athlete’s program. The topic of diet is discussed in more detail later, but there are some important factors related to hypobaric therapy that apply here:

• Because chronic inflammation can inhibit EPO production, when using an altitude chamber it’s important to consider the powerful dietary aspects that regulate inflammation, including balancing dietary fats, and making sure you get certain vitamins and minerals and adequate protein. It is also important to assess your iron, B12, and folic acid status, and your antioxidant intake as well when using any device that increases EPO.
• Some nutrients have obvious potential impact on the athlete’s physiology, and this impact becomes even more acute with hypobaric exposure. A variety of specific nutritional factors may further help athletes who use hypobaric chambers to improve health and performance. Below is a list of some:
  • Iron deficiency could decrease oxygen-carrying capability.
  • Inadequate protein intake could negatively influence EPO production.
  • Zinc may be required at levels higher than normal.
  • Those undergoing hypobaric therapy may have an increased need for antioxidant nutrients.
  • Folic acid could have a significant effect on the production of EPO and red blood cells.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil may impact the quality of red blood cells produced, and help reduce inflammation.

Hypobaric chambers are much larger and heavier than the mild hyperbaric devices, with a bed inside. The price range is also considerably higher, into the $10,000 and higher range. Today, the market has more used devices for less, and older units without the fancy components and comfort can be even cheaper.

The hypobaric chamber can be used regularly and for as long as is practical during each session. The athlete must balance the practicality, availability, and improvement potentials. All this may depend on whether several athletes share a chamber or have their own. Here are some options to consider:

• Ease yourself up. When using the hypobaric chamber, begin with an 8,000-foot equivalent (likened to airline travel) and increase proportionately to 15,000 feet over several days. This altitude simulation can then be maintained, and may be the ideal level.
• Some athletes may choose to sleep in the chamber for three weeks each night just before key competitions or their season. This may ensure optimal performance benefits in a relatively short period.
• Build long-term benefits. An easier choice is to use the chamber for shorter periods but regularly over a longer period of time. This can provide very similar benefits, but with the added benefit of training for weeks and months with higher red-blood counts and oxygen utilization. This can provide the athlete with potentially more benefits from training with improved recovery.

  

  Question: Have you personally used or slept in a hyperbaric or hypobaric chamber? What specific changes did you experience? And for how long?

  Answer: I have used both a mild hyperbaric chamber and a hypobaric chamber from the early days when they were first developed. These came into existence after I stopped competing, so my use was both experimental—I wanted to use it before having athletes use it—and for general health reasons. I still own a hyperbaric chamber. When I use it, I feel more relaxed, energized, and more balanced overall. I find it especially useful after long flights through several time zones in helping to recover from jet lag. They are just roomy enough to be comfortable for the forty-five-minutes you’re inside. Despite the noise of the compressed air coming in, you can dose off, meditate, or read without any trouble.

  I no longer have a hypobaric chamber, but sleeping in one is much like being at high altitude with a higher heart rate, and benefits are not felt for at least a few days or more. Most of these have more room inside and are made for an all-night sleep, although the compressor noise is more than obvious, especially if you’re used to a very quiet environment.

• Short exposures can also be effective, although the time spent in the chamber may be proportionate to the benefits obtained. While sleeping in the chamber every night may be optimal, significant benefits can be achieved with much less exposure—beginning with sixty to ninety minutes five days a week, for example.
• Share your hypoxia with friends. Since shorter periods of exposure can be effective, a number of athletes can benefit by sharing one chamber. In this way a group of athletes can cost-effectively schedule individual chamber times throughout the day and evening, for varying amounts of time. In addition, one athlete may also sleep in the chamber during the night. In this scenario, ten or more athletes could easily obtain benefits from one chamber.
• Maintaining the benefits obtained with previous hypobaric exposure can be accomplished with less exposure. It is important for athletes to monitor their performance improvements through use of the MAF Test.
• Monitor the results. Blood tests allow more objective monitoring of physiological changes. Due to biochemical individuality, responses to the use of hypobaric chambers may vary. However, if significant measurable improvements are not seen following sufficient hypobaric use, it usually means there is some nutritional, dietary, or other lifestyle factor interfering. It would be optimal for individual athletes to monitor specific indices, such as hematocrit, to assess these improvements. Only then can each athlete determine optimal time requirements in the chamber and how long optimal benefits can be maintained during periods when the hypobaric chamber is not used.

While the use of EPO is banned in sports by the World Anti-Doping Agency, the use of hypo- and hyperbaric chambers is not. However, athletes who are found to have unusually high levels of EPO must demonstrate that the concentration is due to physiological conditions, such as a chamber or living at high altitude.