Pre-Stress Exposure and Psychophysiological Responses During Cycling

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Psychology
• Stress Response

Background:

• Managing physical discomfort and stress during exercise is crucial for building resilience.
• Individual differences exist in coping with exercise-induced stress.
• Repeated stress exposure may enhance stress management skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how demographic, psychological, and physiological factors influence psychological states during exercise.
• To explore the impact of prior stress exposure on exercise experience.
• To identify predictors of psychological states during moderate and high-intensity exercise.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-one healthy participants underwent randomized cycling tasks, with one preceded by a cold-pressor test.
• Measured self-reported perceptual and affective responses and heart rate variability.
• Utilized Random Forest and Gradient-Boosting Regressors to predict psychological states.

Main Results:

• Baseline attention was key for attentional focus; higher BMI and age correlated with increased stress and pain.
• A high-tolerance profile reduced stress and arousal during high-intensity exercise, enhancing positive states.
• Prior cold-water stress exposure increased arousal and affect, while decreasing perceived pain during high-intensity exercise.

Conclusions:

• Individual baseline characteristics modulate responses to exercise stress.
• Prior stress exposure can adapt perceptual and affective states, especially during high-intensity exercise.
• Findings offer insights into stress adaptation mechanisms in physically demanding situations.