Advertisement

Physiological Response to Heat Stress

  • Luke N. BelvalEmail author
  • Margaret C. Morrissey
Chapter
First Online:
  • 391 Downloads

Abstract

The human body is equipped with physiological systems that aid in heat dissipation during heat stress. These systems work to limit heat storage during heat stress to maintain a relatively constant internal body temperature. Thermal stress such as passive heat stress, exercise, or exercise in the heat exacerbates thermal strain and must be managed through various thermoeffector responses. This chapter provides a fundamental understanding of the body’s physiological responses to heat stress and biophysical factors that promote or interfere with heat loss. Our aim is to first examine environmental and exercise conditions that optimize heat loss and address biophysical determinants that result in metabolic heat production and heat dissipation. We also present neurological control of heat stress and ways in which neural control of physiological systems enhance heat loss. Finally, we address heat acclimatization and behavioral thermoregulation as methods to further enhance heat loss during heat stress.

Keywords

Heat Thermoregulation Temperature Physiology Homeothermy 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

References

  1. 1.
    Lind AR. Human tolerance to hot climates. Compr Physiol. 2011, Suppl. 26: Handbook of physiology, reactions to environmental agents: 93–109. First published in print 1977.  https://doi.org/10.1002/cphy.cp090106.
  2. 2.
    Lind AR. A physiological criterion for setting thermal environmental limits for everyday work. J Appl Physiol. 1963;18:51–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. 3.
    Cheung SS, McLellan TM, Tenaglia S. The thermophysiology of uncompensable heat stress. Physiological manipulations and individual characteristics. Sports Med. 2000;29(5):329–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. 4.
    Armstrong LE, Johnson EC, Casa DJ, Ganio MS, McDermott BP, Yamamoto LM, et al. The American football uniform: uncompensable heat stress and hyperthermic exhaustion. J Athl Train. 2010;45(2):117–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. 5.
    Wingo JE, Crandall CG, Kenny GP. Human heat physiology. In: Casa DJ, editor. Sport and physical activity in the heat: maximizing performance and safety. Cham: Springer; 2018. p. 15–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. 6.
    Gagge AP, Gonzalez RR. Mechanisms of heat exchange: biophysics and physiology. Compr Physiol. 2011, Suppl. 14: Handbook of physiology, environmental physiology: 45–84. First published in print 1996.  https://doi.org/10.1002/cphy.cp040104.
  7. 7.
    Whipp BJ, Wasserman K. Efficiency of muscular work. J Appl Physiol. 1969;26(5):644–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. 8.
    Cramer MN, Jay O. Partitional calorimetry. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2019;126(2):267–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. 9.
    Parsons K. Human thermal environments: the effects of hot, moderate and cold environments on human health, comfort and performance. 3rd ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2014.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. 10.
    Bramble DM, Lieberman DE. Endurance running and the evolution of Homo. Nature. 2004;432(7015):345–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. 11.
    Cramer MN, Jay O. Biophysical aspects of human thermoregulation during heat stress. Auton Neurosci. 2016;196:3–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. 12.
    Ross M, Abbiss C, Laursen P, Martin D, Burke L. Precooling methods and their effects on athletic performance. Sports Med. 2013;43(3):207–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. 13.
    Gagge AP, Nishi Y. Heat exchange between human skin surface and thermal environment. Compr Physiol. 2011, Suppl. 26: Handbook of physiology, reactions to environmental agents: 69–92. First published in print 1977.  https://doi.org/10.1002/cphy.cp090105.
  14. 14.
    Pryor JL, Pryor RR, Grundstein A, Casa DJ. The heat strain of various athletic surfaces: a comparison between observed and modeled wet-bulb globe temperatures. J Athl Train. 2017;52(11):1056–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. 15.
    Muza SR, Banderet LE, Cadarette BS. Protective uniforms for nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare: metabolic, thermal, respiratory, and psychological issues. In: Pandoff KB, Re B, editors. Medical aspects of harsh environments. Washington, DC: Office of the Surgeon General, United States Army; 2002. p. 1095–138. https://ke.army.mil/bordeninstitute/published_volumes/harshEnv2/HE2ch36.pdf. Accessed 21 Mar 2019.Google Scholar
  16. 16.
    Wenger CB. Heat of evaporation of sweat: thermodynamic considerations. J Appl Physiol. 1972;32(4):456–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. 17.
    Gagnon D, Jay O, Kenny GP. The evaporative requirement for heat balance determines whole-body sweat rate during exercise under conditions permitting full evaporation. J Physiol. 2013;591(11):2925–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. 18.
    Candas V, Libert JP, Vogt JJ. Human skin wettedness and evaporative efficiency of sweating. J Appl Physiol Respir Environ Exerc Physiol. 1979;46(3):522–8.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  19. 19.
    Ravanelli N, Coombs GB, Imbeault P, Jay O. Maximum skin wettedness after aerobic training with and without heat acclimation. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2018;50(2):299–307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. 20.
    Passmore R, Durnin JVGA. Human energy expenditure. Physiol Rev. 1955;35(4):801–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. 21.
    Jay O, Cramer MN. A new approach for comparing thermoregulatory responses of subjects with different body sizes. Temperature (Austin). 2015;2(1):42–3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  22. 22.
    Adams JD, Ganio MS, Burchfield JM, Matthews AC, Werner RN, Chokbengboun AJ, et al. Effects of obesity on body temperature in otherwise-healthy females when controlling hydration and heat production during exercise in the heat. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2015;115(1):167–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. 23.
    McLellan TM, Daanen HA, Cheung SS. Encapsulated environment. Compr Physiol. 2013;3(3):1363–91.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  24. 24.
    Pascoe DD, Bellingar TA, McCluskey BS. Clothing and exercise. II. Influence of clothing during exercise/work in environmental extremes. Sports Med. 1994;18(2):94–108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  25. 25.
    Filingeri D. Neurophysiology of skin thermal sensations. Compr Physiol. 2016;6(3):1429–91.  https://doi.org/10.1002/cphy.c150040.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  26. 26.
    Schlader ZJ, Stannard SR, Mündel T. Human thermoregulatory behavior during rest and exercise – a prospective review. Physiol Behav. 2010;99(3):269–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. 27.
    Kingma BR, Frijns AJ, Schellen L, van Marken Lichtenbelt WD. Beyond the classic thermoneutral zone: including thermal comfort. Temperature (Austin). 2014;1(2):142–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. 28.
    Morrison SF, Nakamura K. Central mechanisms for thermoregulation. Annu Rev Physiol. 2019;81(1):285–308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  29. 29.
    Abbott SBG, Saper CB. Role of the median preoptic nucleus in the autonomic response to heat-exposure. Temperature (Austin). 2018;5(1):4–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  30. 30.
    Shibasaki M, Crandall CG. Mechanisms and controllers of eccrine sweating in humans. Front Biosci (Schol Ed). 2010;2(1):685–96.Google Scholar
  31. 31.
    Low PA. Evaluation of sudomotor function. Clin Neurophysiol. 2004;115(7):1506–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  32. 32.
    Kenefick RW, Cheuvront SN. Physiological adjustments to hypohydration: impact on thermoregulation. Auton Neurosci. 2016;196:47–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  33. 33.
    Gonzalez-Alonso J, Crandall CG, Johnson JM. The cardiovascular challenge of exercising in the heat. J Physiol. 2008;586(1):45–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  34. 34.
    Coyle EF, Gonzalez-Alonso J. Cardiovascular drift during prolonged exercise: new perspectives. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2001;29(2):88–92.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  35. 35.
    Walloe L. Arterio-venous anastomoses in the human skin and their role in temperature control. Temperature (Austin). 2016;3(1):92–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  36. 36.
    James CA, Richardson AJ, Watt PW, Willmott AG, Gibson OR, Maxwell NS. Short-term heat acclimation improves the determinants of endurance performance and 5-km running performance in the heat. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2017;42(3):285–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  37. 37.
    Périard JD, Racinais S, Sawka MN. Adaptations and mechanisms of human heat acclimation: applications for competitive athletes and sports. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2015;25(Suppl 1):20–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  38. 38.
    Flouris AD. Functional architecture of behavioural thermoregulation. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2011;111(1):1–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  39. 39.
    Flouris AD. Human thermoregulation. In: Périard J, Racinais S, editors. Heat stress in sport and exercise: thermophysiology of health and performance. Cham: Springer; 2019. p. 3–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  40. 40.
    Flouris AD, Schlader ZJ. Human behavioral thermoregulation during exercise in the heat. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2015;25(Suppl 1):52–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  41. 41.
    Craig AD. Significance of the insula for the evolution of human awareness of feelings from the body. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2011;1225:72–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  42. 42.
    Schlader ZJ, Stannard SR, Mündel T. Evidence for thermoregulatory behavior during self-paced exercise in the heat. J Therm Biol. 2011;36(7):390–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  43. 43.
    Rav-Acha M, Hadad E, Epstein Y, Heled Y, Moran DS. Fatal exertional heat stroke: a case series. Am J Med Sci. 2004;328(2):84–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  44. 44.
    Belval LN, Armstrong LE. Comparative physiology of thermoregulation. In: Casa D, editor. Sport and physical activity in the heat. Cham: Springer; 2018. p. 3–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Korey Stringer Institute, Department of Kinesiology, University of ConnecticutStorrsUSA

Personalised recommendations

Cite chapter

Buy options