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Michael Phelps and his high-altitude sleeping chamber
#1
Michael Phelps and his high-altitude sleeping chamber
While we use CPAP to improve the oxygen levels while asleep only to read that Michael Phelps sleep in a low-oxygen environment, which forces his system to work harder -- and essentially train -- even when sleeping.
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Michael Phelps and his high-altitude sleeping chamber
May 07, 2012|By Jill Rosen | The Baltimore Sun

Michael Phelps has the money to pretty much sleep anywhere, in anything, that he wants.

It turns out for the last year or so, the Olympian has been hitting the hay in a high-altitude sleeping chamber.

Mention of the so-called "contraption" got a big eye-brow raise out of Anderson Cooper on Sunday's "60 Minutes."

"Inside Michael's apartment, an unusual contraption," Cooper said with drama. "A chamber he sleeps in that simulates high altitude."

And, Cooper added for effect: "He doesn't want anyone to see it, but he was willing to talk to us about it."

Phelps described the weirdness of heading into his bedroom, but then having to enter something else before retiring.

"Once I'm already in my room i still have to open a door to get into my bed," he said, laughing a bit. "It's just like a giant box. It's like 'boy and the bubble.'"

The air he chooses to sleep in is the equivalent of 8,500 to 9,000 feet. And he said it's helping his performance.

Phelps is sleeping in the chamber as a training tool. And the company that provided him with bed, Hypoxico, was singing it from the rooftops Monday -- thrilled that their product not only had a celebrity endorsement, but one mentioned on primetime TV.

And though he didn't want to show it to Anderson Cooper, Phelps was fine with Tweeting a picture of the chamber to thousands of his followers -- a shot of his bed surrounded by a see-through box... his flip-flops at its side.

Matt Formato, the company's director of business development didn't want to reveal to The Sun the specifics of Hypoxico's deal with Phelps. Just that the company sent him the custom chamber last year and if a mere mortal wanted one like it, it would cost about $15,000.

The chamber is supposed to work by creating a low-oxygen environment, which forces Phelps' system to work harder -- and essentially train -- even when sleeping.

Formato said that Tiger Woods is another of their high-profile clients and that a number of endurance runners and boxers also have chambers.

Formato was hoping that the "60 Minutes" mention would undo the misinformation that ran rampant recently when dozens of media outlets reported that Phelps was sleeping in a "hyperbarbaric chamber." That's the odd capsule that Michael Jackson slept in for a time. It does the opposite of what Phelps' chamber does, flooding a body with oxygen.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-05...h-altitude
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#2
RE: Michael Phelps and his high-altitude sleeping chamber
hyperbarbaric? Really really Conan-ish?

Oy. That would be hyperbaric chamber.

Hyperbarbaric. (giggling like mad at the mental images)

On a serious note, I would wonder about the brain damage being done over time.
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#3
RE: Michael Phelps and his high-altitude sleeping chamber
Actually, it would be a Hypobaric chamber.... I would guess for Phelps, its to help keep him in condition of getting by with less oxygen...

Since a hyperbaric chamber is to for pressure higher than normal atmospheric....like for divers that come up too fast.

Now, I've wondered about having my own Hyperbaric chamber....since its a way to get 100% oxygen into people for certain things. And, my SpO2 is apparently a bit low all the time. At least that's what the paramedic commented about....when they took me to the ER last month.

The Dreamer.
You may be a dreamer, but I'm The Dreamer, the definite article you might say!
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#4
RE: Michael Phelps and his high-altitude sleeping chamber
(06-11-2012, 08:43 PM)TheDreamer Wrote: Actually, it would be a Hypobaric chamber.... I would guess for Phelps, its to help keep him in condition of getting by with less oxygen...

Since a hyperbaric chamber is to for pressure higher than normal atmospheric....like for divers that come up too fast.

Now, I've wondered about having my own Hyperbaric chamber....since its a way to get 100% oxygen into people for certain things. And, my SpO2 is apparently a bit low all the time. At least that's what the paramedic commented about....when they took me to the ER last month.

The Dreamer.

Hypobaric chambers MUST be used under strict medical supervision as their ability to cause serious harm is well documented. Very few athletes actually use them, preferring to use exercise, which is less costly and less stressful to the body's vital organs.

Hyperbaric chambers serve a specific purpose and sleep apnea is not one of them, although they should help those with low SpO2 during sleep. Generally, one should be in the mid 90% range while active at a minimum. Some of us fall below 90% SpO2 while sleeping or resting and for those of us that do, IMHO, the recommended course is to buy an oxygen concentrator 5L/M or 10L/M (although at 10L/M you are in serious trouble that is far more than apnea related). Then insert a backflow valve at the output of the XPAP machine to prevent pure oxygen from backflowing into the electronics and motor(s), a nipple inline adapter for the oxygen hose and infuse 0 - 5L/M of O2 into the air being blown at your face. This will raise the O2 content of the air from 21% upwards to about 35%ish at 5L/M. What this does for a person that has shallow breathing and/or low SpO2 due to aFib or lung damage (I have all three) is ... it keeps your SpO2 up in the 95-100% range. I believe that maintaining SpO2 above 95% all night is, in and of itself, not good practice. Better to shoot for 95% and the concentrator can be adjusted accordingly. As of late I have noticed that my SpO2 at even 3L/M infused O2 runs close to 100% all night, even during REM sleep. And I notice that after a few months in Normal Sinus Rhythm (the aFib) and 5L/M infused O2 my lungs and heart are becoming 'lazy' and I wind up being winded after short walks or after having a meal and a walk. A pulse oximeter is essential... a recording pulse oximeter like the Contec CMS50E, so that SpO2 and pulse rate can be monitored through the night every night for a period of nights on a regular basis. Target should be 95%ish. You will sleep like a log and awake refreshed (actually, I sleep so deeply that I often awake during L4 or REM and am groggy, taking up to an hour to come to full speed and alertness). But as to energy? I can go 12-15 hours and make out fine with 7-8 hours of sleep at age 60. Pretty normal. Especially for a guy with severe sleep apnea, treated Atrial Fibrillation since December past, and lung damage from H1N1 Avian Flu 3 years ago this past week that left me with 60% lung capacity. Put it all together and it's pretty amazing that I can get out of bed in the morning.... it has taken three years of study and education, advocating for myself and seeking out the top medical care available. If your SpO2 is low, you want to determine if it is shallow breathing during REM or Atrial Fibrillation or both. And you need to treat both as they are related to one another. If your lung capacity is less than nominal due to smoking or illness (in my case severe pneumonia), it is even more critical to know what your SpO2 is while you sleep as when it drops below 90% you are in respiratory distress.... your body is not oxygenated properly during the night nor is your brain.... your pulse rate and BP climb and you are a #1 candidate for stroke or myocardial infarction (heart attack).

Want to mess around with hypobaric chambers? I don't think so.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Educate, Advocate, Contemplate.
Herein lies personal opinion, no professional advice, which ALL are well advised to seek.



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