The influence of regional insulation on the initial responses to cold immersion

Twelve healthy male subjects performed three 10-min head-out immersions in water at 10 degrees C. The responses of the subjects to immersion were recorded under three conditions: a) Control condition (CC)--torso and limbs exposed; b) Torso protected/limbs exposed condition (TPC); and c) Limbs protected/torso exposed condition (LPC). Results showed that the LPC significantly reduced the heart rate (p less than 0.01), minute ventilation (p less than 0.05), and respiratory frequency (p less than 0.05) during the first minute of immersion compared to the CC. Subjects also found the LPC the most comfortable. The TPC significantly reduced minute ventilation (p less than 0.01) and respiratory frequency (p less than 0.01) on immersion compared to the CC, but did not significantly lower the heart rate response. A comparison of the LPC and TPC revealed no significant difference in minute ventilation and respiratory frequency recorded on immersion. The LPC however, produced significantly lower heart rates on immersion (p less than 0.05) than the TPC. It was concluded that the limbs may be more important than the torso for the initiation of cardiac response to cold water immersion.