Exercise, performance and temperature control: temperature regulation during exercise and implications for sports...

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Environmental Physiology
• Sports Medicine

Background:

• Thermoregulation is critical for athletic performance and safety.
• Understanding body heat dissipation during exercise in hot environments is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of body heat loss mechanisms during exercise in heat.
• To highlight recent findings on non-thermal influences on thermoregulation.
• To discuss the impact of exercise intensity and duration on performance in hot conditions.

Main Methods:

• Review of physiological mechanisms of heat dissipation.
• Analysis of thermal and non-thermal inputs influencing thermoregulation.
• Examination of the effects of prolonged exercise and hydration status on blood volume and distribution.
• Discussion of baroreceptor reflexes and their interaction with thermal drives.

Main Results:

• Metabolic heat is transported to the body surface for dissipation via radiation, convection, or sweat evaporation.
• Core temperature receptors primarily drive increased skin blood flow and sweating.
• Prolonged exercise without adequate rehydration can compromise blood volume, affecting cardiac return.
• Baroreceptor reflexes can override thermal drives, influencing skin blood flow and sweating.
• Submaximal exercise performance is impaired by heat, but improved by training and acclimatisation.
• Only heat acclimatisation effectively prevents heat stress during prolonged exercise in hot environments.

Conclusions:

• Thermoregulation during exercise in heat is a complex interplay of thermal and non-thermal factors.
• Heat acclimatisation significantly enhances the body's ability to cope with heat stress during prolonged exercise.