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* One simple test I did to check the effectiveness of AltoLab was to check my O<sub>2</sub> saturation when flying. After using the AltoLab, I found that my O<sub>2</sub> saturation was noticeably higher than before. (I used a barometric altimeter to check the cabin pressure to make sure the circumstances were similar.)
* After my first training bout I tended to ignore the slow, steady build up of intensity that the manual recommends and use four mixers (equiv 20,000ft) and aim to drop my O<sub>2</sub> saturation to around 70-75%.
* I've yet to keep the use a different pattern of training up beyond than suggested by the initial 15 day initial sessionsmanufacturer. In theory you can 'top up' your altitude training after a 15 I do 1 hour/day break with 5 daily sessions. This is then repeated with for 15 days off, 5 days onthen change to half an hour each day thereafter, tapering for races. I find that 4x (6 min hypoxia + 3 min recovery) works quite well.
* It's important to let everything dry between uses, especially the bacterial filter. If it gets damp, it is hard to breathe through.
* Air you breathe through the AltoLab is quite warm, partly due to rebreathing exhaled air, partly due to the heat from the CO<SUB>2</SUB> scrubber. I tend to drink something in the rest periods.
* For the first couple of bouts of AltoLab training, the initial sessions seemed to leave me a little weakened and slower than normal. I also found that the altitude training tended to give me a headache that would come back periodically.
* I found there is quite a bit of lag in using AltoLab. When you start breathing through the AltoLab, it will take a couple of minutes before your O<sub>2</sub> saturation drops, and when you have the rest period, it can also take a minute or more before your O<sub>2</sub> saturation returns to near normal. However, I also found that the feeling of low O<sub>2</sub> saturation seemed to lag even further behind the reading from the meter (Pulse Oximeter). My assumption is that the O<sub>2</sub> saturation of your blood can change, but the tissues your blood is supplying will take time to change to match the O<sub>2</sub> saturation of your blood. The practical implication is that my blood O<sub>2</sub> saturation could drop to 65% quickly and I would feel more or less okay for a short time. Once my blood O<sub>2</sub> saturation had been low for a minute or so, the impact would kick in and I'd start to feel light headed. Likewise, when I had a rest period, my blood O<sub>2</sub> saturation would rise to normal but my head would still be feeling the effects.
* I do not use the nose clip, as I found it uncomfortable. I find I can breathe through my mouth quite easily and do not require a nose clip.
* I wrote some software that would interface with a USB enabled pulse oximeter. This gave me a graph of how my blood O<sub>2</sub> saturation was changing over time. It also allowed me to calculate the 'Hypoxic Training Index' so I could compare different training sessions.
==CO<SUB>2</SUB> Scrubber==
* The CO<SUB>2</SUB> scrubber lasted for two sessions of an hour, 6 minutes on, 3 minutes off. AltoLab claim 2-3 sessions.
* The scrubber did does not die quickly or obviously; I just found find my blood O<SUB>2</SUB> saturation not dropping as far each time, but the biggest indicator is that I'm struggling to breathe. This is because the CO<SUB>2</SUB> is building up in the blood and causing deeper breathing. Swapping to a new scrubber returned to the original behavior.
* The absorbent material (soda lime) has a color change that indicates when it is exhausted. After the scrubber had become ineffective, the color change had not occurred. This suggests that there is more life left in the absorbent material, but there is not enough material for it to work effectively. Using two scrubbers together may get more life out of the material.
* I created a video of opening the silo for scrubber replacement at http://youtu.be/6uK1Ua8ENGU