In the 1930s, human adaptation to high elevation was recognized as a limitation for aviators and mountain climbers going to high altitudes. It was known that humans could not reside indefinitely at elevations above 17,500 ft (5300 meters).

However, people who lived at 10,000 15,000 ft (3000 – 4500 meters) were able to endure short trips above 17,500 ft (5300 meters) much better than lowlanders, while
natives from high altitudes excelled at endurance sports. In the 1960’s Kenyan and Ethiopian distance runners dominated the Olympics and high altitude training was the major reason.

While all athletes can benefit from high altitude, the methods of altitude training vary widely. The so-called “live high, train high” (LHTH) regime requires an athlete to reside continuously at high altitude for several weeks. This is expensive and inconvenient for most and may not work for those who have trouble breathing the reduced oxygen present at high altitudes. Also living at high altitude can cause people to tire quickly, become lethargic, have sleep distur bances and suffer significant loss in muscle mass and conditioning.

As a consequence, exposure to high altitudes (or reduced oxygen) for short, repeated time intervals was tested as a way for individuals to overcome problems of LHTH. This practice is known as Intermittent Hypoxic Training (IHT). One IHT method is to travel to altitudes of 10,000 ft (3000 meters) each evening, where athletes sleep for 8-12 hrs. The following morning they travel back down to sea level to train intensively. This so-called “live high, train low” (LHTL) scenario is repeated for 14-30 days.

ALTISIM is a small, portable, hand-held “re-breather” that allows easy use by a person in a sitting position.

It uses a filter and an hypoxic silo to remove carbon dioxide (CO) from air you exhaled breathed back in. It also has a series of black cups (Mixers) that can be added in a stack to raise or lower the oxygen content of air you inhale. Each person always watches as their blood oxygen level as it rises or lowers via a pulse oximeter worn on their finger.

ALTISIM is versatile and can replicate oxygen levels from 5000-29,000 ft (1500 8000 meters).

Breathing hypoxic air is very brief, lasting no more than 6 mins at a time. This is followed by a 4 min break when you breathe outside, ambient air. This cycle is repeated up to 6 times for a total of a 1 hr session. This is done for 1-15 days depending on your needs. This protocol makes ALTISIM the most effective altitude simulator on the market. Hypoxic Absorbers must be replaced after 2-4 hrs of use depending on various conditions. ALTISIM is much more efficient than tents or powered hypoxicators, because they simulate much higher altitudes (> 20,000 ft), get to hypoxia quickly and complete exposure after only 6 mins compared to tents or powered
hypoxicators which only reach 12,000 ft and require 1-12 hrs per day for 30 days to be effective. ALTISIM provides convenient altitude training to virtually any athlete or non-athlete, anywhere at anytime. Improved sporting performance and stamina is usually noticed after 1-2 weeks but continues to improve the longer it is used. It can be used by persons of all ages, but requires supervision for youngsters and the disabled.

By following the ALTISIM program, each person is able to achieve the advantages of IHT altitude training at a fraction of the cost. With ALTISIM you can plan and target peak performance for specific events. ALTISIM is typically used during the evening, while watching TV or relaxing at home and it does not interfere with one’s normal athletic training routines during the day. It typically is NOT used while exercising or doing physical exertion.

NEVER USE IT WHILE DRIVING.

Synerme is WADA legal.
In 2006 World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) ruled that altitude training including altitude simulators are legal to prepare athlete’s for athletic competion.

Normally, the exhaled air is reduced to 16% O2 but also contains 4% CO2 and 6% H2O vapor that is expelled from our bodies. When our exhaled air passes through the Synerme, its CO2 is removed with scrubbers in the hypoxic Absorber and the re-inhaled air has an O2 level of 16%. Repeated re-breathing causes these O2 levels to drop as our lungs continue to remove 14 of the O2 with each breath. The Mixer stack, below the hypoxic Absorber, traps our exhaled air and mixes it with fresh air entering from the base of the stack. After 1-2 minutes of breathing, the air mixed in the Mixer stack reaches an equilibrium of varying O2 concentrations, depending on the number of Mixers in the stack. In general, each Alto Mixer equals about 5000 ft (1500 meters). Thus, a stack with 3 Mixers is equal to about 15,000 ft. By using more or fewer Mixers it is possible to adjust attitudes from 2500-29,000 ft (750-8000 meters). To ensure that the Synerme is working you need to constantly follow your blood O2 levels with the pulse oximeter. This enables you to keep blood O2 levels at the right level.