TY - JOUR
T1 - Cold stress effects on exposure tolerance and exercise performance
AU - Castellani, John W.
AU - Tipton, Michael John
N1 - Accepted/In press Jul 2015
PY - 2016/1/5
Y1 - 2016/1/5
N2 - Cold weather can have deleterious effects on health, tolerance, and
performance. This paper will review the physiological responses and external factors that impact cold tolerance and physical performance. Tolerance is grouped into shortterm (< 10-min) and long-term (> 1-h) exposure. Short-term exposure to cold water leads to a “cold-shock” response, which can have serious health consequences. Methods for habituating to this response are presented. Factors (anthropometry, sex, fitness) that influence cold tolerance are also reviewed. The impact of cold exposure on physical performance, especially aerobic performance, has not been well studied. The few studies that have been done suggest that aerobic performance is degraded in cold environments. Potential physiological mechanisms are discussed. Likewise, anaerobic performance is also degraded during cold exposure, primarily through a decline in muscle temperature. The review also discusses the concept of thermoregulatory fatigue, a reduction in the thermal effector responses of shivering and vasoconstriction, as a result of multi-stressor factors, including exhaustive exercise.
AB - Cold weather can have deleterious effects on health, tolerance, and
performance. This paper will review the physiological responses and external factors that impact cold tolerance and physical performance. Tolerance is grouped into shortterm (< 10-min) and long-term (> 1-h) exposure. Short-term exposure to cold water leads to a “cold-shock” response, which can have serious health consequences. Methods for habituating to this response are presented. Factors (anthropometry, sex, fitness) that influence cold tolerance are also reviewed. The impact of cold exposure on physical performance, especially aerobic performance, has not been well studied. The few studies that have been done suggest that aerobic performance is degraded in cold environments. Potential physiological mechanisms are discussed. Likewise, anaerobic performance is also degraded during cold exposure, primarily through a decline in muscle temperature. The review also discusses the concept of thermoregulatory fatigue, a reduction in the thermal effector responses of shivering and vasoconstriction, as a result of multi-stressor factors, including exhaustive exercise.
U2 - 10.1002/cphy.c140081
DO - 10.1002/cphy.c140081
M3 - Article
SN - 2040-4603
VL - 6
SP - 443
EP - 469
JO - Comprehensive Physiology
JF - Comprehensive Physiology
IS - 1
ER -