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Colorado company tackles altitude insomnia, including in the Roaring Fork Valley

House oxygenation system allows for restful sleep in the mountains, also helps endurance athletes

Altitude Control Technology uses their "Altiflo" to modify the oxygen levels of a room and simulate lower altitude, typically in bedrooms.
Altitude Control Technology/Courtesy Photo

Altitude insomnia can begin at just 6,000 feet. 

At higher elevations it becomes more difficult to get restful sleep because your body must work harder to maintain adequate oxygen levels, according to Kyle Bassett, chief operating officer of Altitude Control Technology (ACT). 

“And you’ll end up gasping over and over again,” Bassett said of what happens with altitude insomnia. “I can’t tell you how many people reach out to us between midnight and 3 a.m.”



ACT developed a house oxygenation system to combat altitude insomnia, filling rooms with oxygenated air to mimic lower elevation and allow for restful sleep. Based in Edwards, about 25% of the company’s business is from the Roaring Fork Valley, Bassett said. Aspen sits just shy of 8,000 feet. 

The primary users of their oxygenation product are either aging full-time residents of high elevation towns or people with second homes who rapidly transition to high altitude, he said. 




Though altitude has a greater impact as one ages, people of varying demographics are affected uniquely by living at elevation, Bassett said. Even triathletes may lose sleep. 

“Altitude impacts everyone differently,” Bassett said.

Air is primarily composed of 21% oxygen and 78% nitrogen, explained Shaun Wallace, founder of ACT and olympic cyclist who developed the technology while training for the 1996 Olympics. He sold ACT three years ago but still works with the company as an engineer and consultant.

At higher elevations, the distance between oxygen molecules expands when air pressure decreases, Wallace said. Though the percentage of oxygen in the air remains the same, taking a breath at elevation yields less oxygen molecules because they are dispersed.

Oxygen that is inhaled also transitions less efficiently from the lungs to the bloodstream due to the lack of air pressure, Wallace said.

When oxygenating a room, ACT increases the percentage of the air’s oxygen to make up for the dispersed oxygen molecules, he added.

“In a room in Aspen, for example, you will increase the oxygen content, perhaps from 21% up to maybe 27%” Wallace said.

To implement the system, they need to create a closed space. They can do so in individual rooms, or for the full interior of a residence, Wallace said. But it’s most useful to consult clients before the building is constructed, so they can consult with the planners. 

“This is the dream scenario,” Wallace said.

Though more difficult, they still can add the system after construction. Users can control the oxygenation of the room using the ACT app, Bassett said. 

The company has gone through many iterations since Wallace first founded the technology in 1995. 

The technology was first used to help athletes “live high and train low,” rather than live high and train high, which was previously thought to be the most beneficial way to train.

“The problem for the athlete, though, is that when we’re at altitude, we can’t train as hard, we get fatigued,” Wallace said. 

Wallace would use the technology to decrease the oxygenation of a room while sleeping to imitate higher elevations, but would train at lower elevations. This maximizes athletic potential for those competing in mid-distance races, with efforts between two and 10 minutes, he said. 

In the early iterations of the company, Wallace said they used the technology to reduce fire risk in the Smithsonian Museum. In the room housing the Star Spangled Banner, Wallace said they lowered the oxygen level from 21% to less than 15%, making it impossible for fire to ignite. 

Wallace also implemented a pilot training system for the Federal Aviation Administration, using a chamber with oxygen levels at 6%, which simulated 30,000 feet.

But over the past 10 years, they have transitioned to outfitting houses, given the demand for restful sleep in mountain towns.

“We’re not creating altitude. We’re reducing altitude,” Wallace said. “No one’s training. They’re just trying to sleep better.”