Cold Acclimation and the Effect on Sport Performance

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Top Contributors - Kapil Narale  

Introduction

In an extreme cold environment, even though behavioural or psychological adaptations may act to maintain a sufficient amount of body heat, it is possible that core or peripheral skin temperature can be decreased to a point where metabolic and physiologic functions are no longer sufficient and damage to skin and other tissues may occur.

Environmental cooling power is not only determined by the ambient wet bulb temperature, but is also influenced by the wind and wet clothing. The wind can produce heat loss through convection, while wet clothing increases heat loss through evaporation. Water temperature and currents, with water activities, can contribute to a cooling effect. Inhalation of cold air can also have negative effects for asthmatic healthy athletes.

Various Conditions

Hypothermia and Sport

In sporting events like the Winter Olympics, there can be a vast range in cold temperature, ranging from <-5^oC and >+5^oC. The production of metabolic heat during exercise surpasses the rate of body heat loss in similar and colder environments. In winter sports which involve displacement in a straight line, such as Alpine skiing or snowboarding, factors such as wind and low air-temperature, at high athlete movement speeds, expose the athletes to even apparent colder conditions. However, the production of metabolic heat is quite high during such an activity.

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