What happens to your body at the top of Mount Everest - Andrew Lovering

Explore what happens in your body when you don’t acclimate to higher altitudes and the dangers of altitude sickness.
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If you teleported from sea level to the top of Mount Everest, things would go bad fast. At an altitude of 8,848 meters, you would likely suffocate in minutes. However, for people that make this journey over the course of a month, it’s possible to survive at the peak for hours. So what happens in our bodies that allows us to endure this incredible altitude? Andrew Lovering investigates.
Lesson by Andrew Lovering, directed by Vitalii Nebelskyi, and action creative agency.
Designed by Alexandra Bolotova
Animated by Volodymyr Boyko
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Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Zhexi Shan, Bárbara Nazaré, Andrea Feliz, Victor E Karhel, Sydney Evans, Latora Slydell, Noel Situ, emily lam, Sid, Kent Logan, Niccolò Frassetto, Mana, I'm here because of Knowledge Fight Facebook group., Linda Freedman, Edgardo Cuellar, Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, Michael Burton, VIVIANA A GARCIA BESNE, The Vernon's, Olha Bahatiuk, Jesús Bíquez Talayero, Chels Raknrl, Sai Pranavi Jonnalagadda, Stuart Rice, Jing Chen, Vector-Dopamine math, Jasper Song, Giorgio Bugnatelli, Chardon, Eddy Trochez, OnlineBookClub.org, Eric Shear, Leith Salem, Omar Hicham, Adrian Rotaru, Brad Sullivan, Karen Ho, Niklas Frimberger, Hunter Manhart, Nathan Nguyen, Igor Stavchanskiy, James R DeVries, Grace Huo, Diana Huang, Chau Hong Diem, Orlellys Torre, Corheu, Thomas Mee, Maryann H McCrory and Blas Borde.

[@Leo-zi1uf]

Fun fact: Staying at high altitudes before a competition is a form of legal doping in sports. As the athlete will have more red blood cells, they will be capable of more performance.

[@marcusliou2812]

That’s why lots of athletes train in Colorado!

[@recoveringsoul755]

Great point

[@user-kh1vv6dt6d]

@@marcusliou2812 ㅂ7ㅂ7ㅂ71ㅣ1

[@ElizabethMBoyd]

Laughing as someone who lives at 8,000 feet

[@jakep8921]

How long does that increased red blood cell count last? Like when you return to compete how many days do you still have an advantage?

[@chukwuemekecharlesimala95]

I just love how TedEd never runs out of animation styles

[@deepakpradeep2196]

4:35 The Sherpa is the first thing that comes to my mind when you talk about people getting accustomed to high altitudes. They're the unsung heroes that helped many mountain climbers achieve the Himalayan mountains. Great video TED!

[@anishdeshmukh4333]

Yes, it's they who are masters of the mountains!

[@Daveluvutube]

They naturally and genetically have more haemoglobin than us regular ppl

[@sablewoods7003]

Often making multiple trips up and down the mountain with weeks!🙏🏾👏🏾

[@gunitheman]

Carrying heavy loads too they truly are unsung heroes

[@dawasherpa8342]

No, that’s Andeans. Sherpas naturally have less hemoglobin because we’ve lived at high altitudes for about 30,000 years whereas Andeans have only had 10,000 years to adapt.

[@dikshantsheoran]

It is a good day, whenever ted ed posts

[@michelleameyaw3419]

Fax😩😁

[@Hannah_Rose98]

Absolutely

[@meiyiii]

I can't agree more :D

[@akshatdubey7904]

bad day whenever someone comments something useless

[@daisy-mm3vk]

Today is a good good day

[@pradeeplama1335]

Being a casual Trekker, I must say Wim Hoff's breathing technique, also mentioned in the video, has been really helpful. We must let our body acclimatize before we make the ascend and to do that, we must focus on our breathing as it becomes prominent factor for acclimatization. Hence, this video is a must for those who wants to ascend mountains here in Nepal. P.s. I have reached the height of 5500m finishing 2 complete trekking circuits in a month.

[@braedanclay5633]

Ok

[@seannaomari2924]

That’s very cool

[@tundra164]

ive reached higher LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

[@tayar3797]

The sights must be beautiful

[@rockinrocky000]

Going on a trek at 6200 next week. Wish me luck ☺️

[@ishandiablo]

Recently went to Spiti where average altitude was 4000m. Walking and hiking was not a pleasant experience. But gradually the body adjusted over days. Our bodies are indeed a marvel.

[@mochicheex]

i am a mongolian and my dad always said we r adapted to the high altitude but i never saw it as anything drastic thinking anyone could survive it. but i saw the severity of it when a foreign family stayed in 2500km above and everyone started getting sick few days later. the little girl even had bright red cheeks when she came down. then last week i went to the same place and had zero discomfort. i guess dad was right

[@anilpratap6952]

Most of Mongolia is flat terrain. The highest point is 4100m but that seems more of an exception. No idea what you meant by Mongols being better adapted for high altitude.

[@moritzlang2251]

@@anilpratap6952 True, Mongolia is largely flat terrain, but it is also one of the tallest countries in the world in terms of average elevation as the plateaus are depressions from the 4 main mountain ranges in the country. I believe the average elevation is 1500m

[@sirjanamanandhar180]

Damn, 2500km, how does the earth look like from up there?

[@aa6eheia156]

@@sirjanamanandhar180 yeah he's very lucky to have been to space

[@grindelwald_5306]

@@sirjanamanandhar180 hahaha we all made mistake 🤣

[@macadelic2492]

It’s so crazy how our bodies stay alive for so long and can adapt to so much

[@MickCorgi]

I appreciate the altitude in metric terms. Hope world aviation and navigation system be unified, too.

[@el7284]

*angry freedom noises*

[@angrypastabrewing]

I prefer Imperial units aka Freedom units

[@recoveringsoul755]

I have trouble converting that, only went mountain climbing in America

[@msakbar12345]

im asian and every time american using feet, i got confuse who's feet they talking about ???

[@espinacaconpolvo]

A month ago I climbed to one of the highest summits in my country, mount Cotopaxi at 5898 meters of altitude. While reaching the top, there where instances where I experienced fatigue and a shortage of breath but overall the adrenaline and will to achieve your goal always makes you reach the highest summits! Also, I have lived my whole life above 2500 meters of altitude, I would live to know how this had affected my body. :) blessings from Ecuador 🇪🇨

[@recoveringsoul755]

I would subtract the altitude you normally live at and consider that sea level for you, and calculate the elevation gained from there

[@keedee4761]

Congrats for summiting such height💪

[@adrihooijer536]

Recently I visited the Three-Border Region, the highest mountain of the Netherlands 🇳🇱. A whopping 323 meters above sealevel. Yess we redefined a mountain as anything above 300m otherwise we wouldn't have mountains. And it is like dubble the hight of the second highest 'mountain' (hill) (171m). And -100 times (yes "-") as high as I live! (I live 3 meters below sea level).

[@richardthomas5362]

Blessings from Colorado in the USA. We are not quite that high (around 1600 meters) but we notice a difference.

[@titanfitlifestyle]

That height is the base camp of Everest😅

[@dorkydoodle3573]

It’s so interesting seeing how altitude sickness can affect the body, especially considering I live at ~7000 feet and don’t feel anything at all, but family members from sea level can get a little sick sometimes when visiting

[@TheWatev123456789]

What part of the world do you live in?

[@MarkWTK]

Bolivian?

[@kenmore01]

@@TheWatev123456789 Could be anywhere in the mountains.

[@Xavi98Xavi]

Altitude here in Mexico City is about ~2,480 meters (8,100 feet). Have lived here my whole life, never experienced AMS.

[@dorkydoodle3573]

@@TheWatev123456789 I live in Colorado in the Rockies

[@Armn9999]

I already have blood pressure issues since childhood. Few months ago went to Peru. What an incredible country. The highest place we walked at was 5000 meters and let me tell you, it’s not fun lol. I was focused on breathing way more than enjoying the view. Literally breathtaking views. Every movement exhausts you

[@IIISentorIII]

everyone has blood pressure.

[@anhduc376]

Our human body is incredible, it can adapt with each environment. This video is informative. Thanks Ted for this video. Love it.

[@jimbojimbo6873]

Your body can’t even last an hour on Mars lets no go overboard. We can’t survive in 90% of the world

[@plasmahvh]

@@jimbojimbo6873 we were not built for mars. we were built for earth. and on earth we can endure even the toughest environments for short periods of time without the need of 1000s of years of adaptation. it is unbelievably rare that an organism as complex as humans can live in such a wide variety of environments whilst remaining human. Also please don't bring up arguments such as living at the bottom of the Mariana Ttench cause nothing remotely as complex as humans can.

[@jerielk.6975]

The human body is so amazing, to be able to adapt to situations like that is crazy! Also, slightly unrelated but this narrator has such a wonderful voice. So calming and relaxed.

[@Tango_Mike]

The content itself is awesome but the animations are on a whole different level!

[@andaction.agency]

So nice to read this!

[@sherlock1854]

Can't get over the brilliance of the animation.

[@8FootGamer]

You should do one of these to talk about what the body experiences when diving!

[@alejomontoya9794]

So, people that climbed the mount Everest are just really skilled, strong, and lucky to the point were scientists don't even know how they did it. Amazing!

[@helveticaneptune537]

No they are just rich, the sherpers are the real climbers

[@catdogmousecheese]

Actually, climbing Everest isn't as impressive today as it was 50 years ago. There are actually entire travel agencies that specialize in helping people climb Everest; they'll plan your route, tell you exactly what supplies you'll need, and get you in contact with a local guide. In fact, a large percentage of Nepal's national GDP is tourism from people wanting to climb or at least see Everest.

[@helveticaneptune537]

@@catdogmousecheese well said!!

[@ChandLiu]

@@helveticaneptune537 The sherpas are amazing it’s what they do for a living. The climbers are not, it’s mostly hobbies or bucket list stuff. But 8000++ isn’t as easy as you might think.

[@ChandLiu]

@@catdogmousecheese So very true, but the travel agencies are like your manager and coaching staffs. They’ll give you the game plan but can you run it and score? Or i build a race track for you and you have a car but can you drive fast enough and safely to the finish line? 50 years ago was badass i agree

[@kakaji5053]

The tiny Tibetan Flag made my day! Thank you 💖💖💖

[@bonbonquest]

Yes omg same!!!

[@yashsatam9104]

These sorts of animations makes learning any concept so interesting!!

[@haronmama3026]

the content is absolutely and undoubtedly brilliant, the animation? impeccable!!!👌👌👌

[@Sarah-yl4xf]

Thank you for this video ted ed

[@ojhabhumika]

ted ed you are amazing, but these animations are at another level !

[@Bill22886]

Extra info: Hemoglobin have Iron, oxygen bind to iron that way hemoglobin carries oxygen. At higher altitude this binding affinity of hemoglobin decreases

[@robinsir]

Climbing slow and steady is the key!

[@tomasnoboa200]

Love to live in high altitudes! Quito, Ecuador (2800 m/9186 ft)

[@tanrajdulai8694]

I like the acknowledgment of the traditional names of Mount Everest

[@RAPER-hv3nf]

great video very informative thank you

[@UmerAriyan]

Awsome Information, Thanks.

[@Mr.Kreator]

Ted Ed is the best Education Channel and it teaches me more than my wasted life in School...Thanks Ted Ed 💓💯

[@killerb456]

Loved this video, so much, love the animation, love it so much, great explanation

[@DaveTexas]

It would have been interesting to have included an explanation of the "death zone." This video talks about 1500, 2500, 4000m altitude, but Everest is nearly 9000m tall, making it very different from getting altitude sickness at 2500m.

[@Tirelesswarrior]

Most climbers use oxygen assisted machines. He is talking about a hypothetical situation where it is attempted without equipment

[@plasmahvh]

@@Tirelesswarrior Reinhold Messner did it solo and without supplemental oxygen. It's possible, you just have to be clinically insane

[@spacemonkey0809]

Ted Ed makes very creative and visually appealing videos.

[@samchen9951]

4:42 shoutout to drawing of Jerzy Kukuczka at the right, I'm a fan of his. Thanks for this video TED ED

[@giia9404]

This animation style is simple yet adorable

[@isshiomi6364]

Thanks Team TED -Ed for sharing this knowledge...Best wishes

[@alaskawashington]

such an interesting and cool video and such cute animation !! ☺️ ted ed making our days brighter as per usual

[@shubhamupadhyay2716]

That is mind blowing ♥️♥️

[@LuiTheBazui]

I remember experiencing altitude sickness the first time I hiked in Park City, Utah. I had a headache but I was okay

[@ziadh7616]

Amazing information

[@utkarshdubey9075]

Love ur videos

[@midimusicforever]

ah, nice flat solid ground on a normal height, just what I want under my feet after watching this!

[@RaceCafe]

Every trekker should watch this video !!

[@toni4729]

Really interesting and educational work. Thank you very much for this.

[@Dreeeew464]

This was soo good

[@katherineknapp4370]

This video actually makes so thankful that I'm actually afraid of heights!

[@user-th5ml7vz7i]

めっちゃおもしろいし、アニメ凝ってて見ててめっちゃ楽しい

[@kuitaranheatmorus9932]

Great video

[@alparslankorkmaz2964]

Nice video.

[@katherineknapp4370]

Hey Ted-Ed, can y'all do a video about Avalanches and how to be safe when they happen please? I think it's very important that everyone knows how scary they are.

[@Stoinksky]

Love the you use meters

[@keedee4761]

Im currently reading Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. This video will help me understand the story and the tragedy better. Thank you!

[@greyblues5431]

I love theseeee

[@fronbasal]

Amazing

[@Reckoning2943]

Person with South American/Andean roots: we do indeed not get sick so easily in altitudes. I’ve travelled and walked numerous times in altitudes of 5000m and it’s kind of a running gag among us to see all the tourists being sick outside of their busses along the way. It goes even as far as having great lung volume, even without training for it, needing very little water to drink and having very thick skin whose pores won’t open up easily. We’re literally built to live in arid regions of very high altitudes, but, even we do know our limits. Some of those mountaineers think they’re gods, they’re too confident, and that’s how they end up struggling.

[@cynicmax]

Altitude Sickness can be a philosophical term also. Some people's soul becomes sick as they reach the heights in life which is more materialistic and sometimes inhumane.

[@anotheryoutubeaccount5259]

That's the most mindless thing I've ever read.

[@cynicmax]

@@anotheryoutubeaccount5259 thanks mann

[@sureshvishnoi111]

Recently I went to do EBC track, even going to the base camp at 5364 meter is enough challenging . Summiting a peak above 8k needs a lot time for being mentally and physically capable.

[@IIISentorIII]

I once lost a Done up there ( it got stuck) and I had to go up Everest to retrive it.

[@nothingbutsilicone1142]

I’m considering paying the $10k to do base camp 2. How terrifying did the Khumbu Icefall look in person?

[@sureshvishnoi111]

One of the the dangerous part of the route to the peak is Khumbu icefall, as its dynamic, continuously & slowly moving. Its huge and magnificent. if you have technical skills then I think you can manage it. Fear will always be there @@nothingbutsilicone1142

[@the_end_of_universe]

多謝曬粤語字幕

[@thiagopollo]

Very interesting!

[@willyd-adv]

I ride a motorcycle around the world and via the highest roads in the world. We would go from 1000m to 5000m to 2000m to 6000m all in a single day which is the worst way to acclimatize. I was thankfully absolutely fine and never noticed the difference but but two riding mates massively suffered. Ever since I have been fascinated how different people react to altitude

[@MuratHn1]

I love this channel, drawings are so cute

[@Aperspective1]

adaptation process is so amazing with so many smart changes made throughout the body. it must be result of design, wisdom. we can nurture this gift but it's strange to claim "we as humanity did it.

[@Marta1Buck]

The only issue I had when I hiked mountain Arjuna (almost 3400m) was that it was so hard to boil water due to thinner oxygen in the air.

[@recoveringsoul755]

Yeah there is less air pressure pushing down on the surface of the water, so it appears to boil faster, but it's not really up to boiling temperature, so you need to let it boil for a few minutes

[@blueleafy7167]

I went to 2916m at my local ski resort and I was fine

[@crisaldoproductions9065]

As a person living in a city 3600 meters above sea ( La Paz, Bolivia) i kinda feel like a superhuman after this video lmao

[@stargirl6659]

Very nice video. It would help to add in the end the number of lives that have been lost because they couldn’t aclámate. While it is not impossible to climb Mount Everest, it’s not for everyone. Even those who have years of experience and fitness on their belt have died and will continue to do so if they don’t respect the mountain the way it should.

[@mymobile011]

Lov your story

[@Khakuno2022]

Thanks for another cool video! I am wondering if there is any effect in the opposite way? If the one, who is born above 2000-3000m, goes to another country at sea level, what will happen?)

[@leeks1408]

Good to know about something I’ll probably never experience myself

[@williamgallop9425]

1.5 months in Nairobi ~1700m above sealevel and my hemoglobin went from 154 to 174. I live at sealevel.

[@andaction.agency]

Thank you TED-Ed for this amazing cooperation ❤ Our team enjoyed the whole process of animation creation 🎬 Big hug from all of us from Ukraine 🇺🇦❤

[@mairepcod4063]

Thanks,

[@alphaomega1351]

You're welcome 😊

[@JadeTheOnly]

I was just in the mountains (avg. height: 5,800ft) for a whole week last week- I never knew there were so many things that could happen besides your ears popping-

[@recoveringsoul755]

I hiked the highest mountain in the lower 48, just under 14,500 feet, no idea what that is in meters. We started at around 4,000 feet, first few days gained 3,000 feet each day, then some ups and downs. Coming from sea level and doing the whole thing in a week doesn't really give you time to acclimate. Need a few days at each elevation. For some reason, women are less likely to get altitude sickness, despite smaller lungs and hearts. When COVID started it was affecting men more, and they were saying it was similar to altitude sickness. Also heard certain blood types of people were able to handle High elevations better for some reason

[@synesthete23]

When I was a kid, I thought I wanted to climb Mt. Everest. But after watching this video, I thought, Nah, I’d give my body a break from all that stress.

[@angeliquebel]

Would you please make a video about how high altitude affects our body in relation with flying with aircraft?

[@robbieogle8622]

This happened to me. I flew from the east coast to Tahoe. We drove straight up the mountain. Within 2 days I felt like I was drowning. My lungs filled with fluid. I went back down to Reno and was fine again.

[@Mfalme254_]

I could listen to Addison Anderson talk for hours without getting tired

[@sauravsuresh]

This video brings back a lot of bad memories

[@breadmaster857]

Great

[@leflamewolf]

Although we often forget it like any other animal, we are extreme survivalists capable of surviving some of the direst of situations.

[@chezshirecat1872]

I spent my life at sea level but moved to Colorado and moved to a mountain area at 7300ft. I did not know about AMS, but I was a mess for about 1 week. I had trouble walking and always felt dizzy.

[@brawlaj5246]

Thanks I was going to stay at mount everest For 30 days but when I watched this video I realized it was the worst choice of my life thank You ❤

[@raydonnaicker3419]

well it is really good

[@song4thedeaf]

The animations are so cute!!

[@kopergaklabil4290]

Adaptation is the Key.

[@its_karthi_yoo]

Cool

[@errikosdaskalakis676]

wow!

[@Gue204]

The human body is full of wonders!

[@ThitutUhthalye]

I switched to manual breathing, with deeper breaths and increased heart rates watching this video.

[@averyhappypieceofpizza957]

Nooo now I’m doing it too after seeing this comment and thinking about it

[@Shreyy17]

​@@averyhappypieceofpizza957 and me after reading your reply

[@averyhappypieceofpizza957]

@@Shreyy17 the cycle never stops

[@michaelwarwavesyn9391]

This video is legit giving me anxiety. I got altitude sickness climbing Mt. Fuji and had to turn around before reaching the top. It's the only item on my bucket list but I'm anxious to try again.

[@ivanlow741]

Altitude sickness medicine exist and helps

[@recoveringsoul755]

A few days at any elevation helps you acclimate.

[@joel7892]

nice

[@Wil_Dasovich]

i will summit everest one day, claiming it!

[@okman9684]

Congrats on doing it 🎉

[@itsoracle]

demon

[@dontsleephungry716]

Sure 💀

[@aliyaspahic]

Nobody cares 🥱

[@AmyHoward-lq5tg]

Keep dreaming.

[@nightstorm1799]

See now I’m not an expert but I’m pretty sure it is getting to an altitude where you get sick but no really this once again is super cool vid and information I never knew I wanted to know

[@gabrielmorales9908]

South America represent 😤😤 we living way up here in the andes

[@FinancialShinanigan]

I took deep breaths while watching this lol

[@mycommentskeepgettingdelet184]

Mount everest and water... the most EPIC fight of my life....

[@jimmybasilio3510]

At last ted ed post its ideas worth spreading

[@MrLijoisthebest]

I read it as "Attitude Sickness" for some reason and thought that guy on the mountain is a metaphor for "a guy on top of the world" 😂😂

[@katherinewong2901]

I live on Haleakala on Maui. I watch visitors going up to the top, 10,000 ft, to visit the Natl Park. People can get motion sickness on the windy road up and/or altitude sickness. If you start at the sea floor, Haleakala is bigger than Everest. I'd like to hear about what living at higher altitude does to the body. I always feel better Upcountry than at sea level.

[@AnomieDomine]

You're looking at 0-10k... The video discusses 0-25k+. You aren't wrong about absolute altitude gain if you compare sea to summit there versus base to summit at Everest, but that's not what the video is about

[@thomsdvid]

AMS happened to me once before a ski race. I crashed mid course because i suddently forgot how to ski.

[@jaromtoy9163]

If you’re interested in this kind of stuff, I’d definitely suggest reading “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer, or watching the recent “Everest” movie that came out in 2015, based on the same expedition.