Analysis of the impact of altitude changes on human physiological indicators and response capabilities

Hypoxic environments represent a core stress factor affecting human physiological functions and cognitive performance under high-altitude exposure. This study utilized an environmental experiment chamber to replicate varying altitude conditions, tracking and recording parameters such as blood pressure, Blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, and cognitive response capabilities in test subjects, while evaluating the interrelationships and mutual influences among these indicators. Results demonstrated that young populations exhibit stronger adaptability to high-altitude hypoxia; no significant linear correlation was observed between age and reaction time, although age-related differences were noted in auditory response time. Blood oxygen saturation showed no significant correlation with reaction time, suggesting that physiological compensations can maintain response speed. Heart rate exhibited a weak positive correlation with systolic blood pressure ( r = 0.378), with synergistic changes enhancing reaction accuracy by 12%. Discrimination reaction time significantly prolonged when Blood oxygen saturation < 85% and heart rate > 110 beats per minute. A fatigue early warning method based on key physiological indicators and reaction time data, along with corresponding threshold values, was proposed. This provides actionable quantitative evidence for real-time monitoring and risk assessment of fatigue status in high-altitude work environments, facilitating scientifically guided rest scheduling and workload regulation to improve safety standards and operational efficiency in high-altitude operations.