Effect of repeated exposures to cold on cognitive performance in humans

Mäkinen, Tero; Palinkas, Lawrence A.; Reeves, Dennis; Pääkkönen, Tiina; Rintamäki, Hannu; Leppäluoto, Juhani; Hassi, Juhani

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2005.09.015

Cited by 131 publications

(111 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Although exposure to cold in modern society is typically limited to short bursts, it remains substantial for industries such as agriculture, forestry, mining, factory and construction work, hunting, fishing, and military [27]. People working in these activity fields face prolonged exposure to cold conditions that can deteriorate their performance [46].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since cooling of the tissue may result in degraded physical [38] and mental [31] performance, completing the same task in cold can require extra effort compared to a warm environment [27]. Physical interaction with mobile devices may also be adversely affected in cold due to muscular dexterity loss [22] and shivering, which may in turn disturb fine motor control.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Situational impairments to mobile interaction in cold environments

Sarsenbayeva

Gonçalves

García

et al. 2016

Proceedings of the 2016 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing

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We evaluate the situational impairments caused by cold ambient temperature on fine-motor movement and vigilance during mobile interaction. For this purpose, we tested two mobile phone applications that measure fine motor skills and vigilance in controlled temperature settings. Our results show that cold adversely affected participants' fine-motor skills performance, but not vigilance. Based on our results we highlight the importance of correcting measurements when investigating performance of cognitive tasks to take into account the physical element of the tasks. Finally, we identify a number of design recommendations from literature that can mitigate the adverse effect of cold ambiance on interaction with mobile devices.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Situational impairments to mobile interaction in cold environments

Sarsenbayeva

Gonçalves

García

et al. 2016

Proceedings of the 2016 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing

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“…Many indirect reasons for the increase of incidence rate of accidents when working in low temperatures have been found in many physiological and psychological studies 5,[17][18][19][20] . The cooling of tissues diminishes the tactile sensation of the skin and the dexterity of the fingers.…”

Section: The Direct and Indirect Effects Of Coldmentioning

confidence: 99%

Safety at Work in Cold Environments and Prevention of Cold Stress

2009

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It is very obvious that working in the cold environment is more dangerous than the same type of work in a warmer climate. Physical, manual and cognitive performance and body cooling are closely related to each other. Not only physiological functions and reaction times of individuals are slower when they are in cold, but also heavy clothing interferes with movements, perception and sensations 1,2) . Often also problems of psychological adjustment occur because of the cold and darkness that is common to winter operations in cold regions. It has been shown that persons exposed to such conditions tend to show general unfavourable trends such as increased depression, dissatisfaction, insomnia and lack of motivation 3) . Since mechanical systems are not functioning well in cold, it is more risky to work with them. Very often also darkness, wind and slippery ground increase the hazards of cold working environments. Because of that, special safety precautions, prevention means and risk management are needed to avoid accidents and disasters in cold work places. In addition the productivity could be increased by improving cold working environment 3) .In Finland there are more than 500,000 people who have experienced cold to affect harmfully in their work environment 4,5) . About 300,000 people, working in cold conditions indoors, have perceived cold as especially or rather inconvenient. In spite of the large number of people suffering from cold exposure, the effect of cold has not received enough attention and there are no specific recommendations or orders regulating the cold exposure and the health hazards of cold 6) . Emphasis on the pre- Abstract: The questions related to safety at work in cold environments and prevention of cold stress in working life are described in this article. Working in the cold environment is more dangerous than the same type of work in a warmer climate. All researchers have concluded that the frequency of accidents/versus temperature curves follow the U-shape with the minimum near 20˚C. The effects of low temperature can be divided into direct, typically frostbites, and indirect, of which the indirect effects, typically slipping accidents, are more common. In improving risk management in cold conditions the risk evaluation based on existing standards is the starting point. Prevention of risks in cold environments can be done by planning of work, technical measures like heating or reduction of cooling by protective clothing, training and other measures. Local heaters, shelters against bad weather, reduction of draught are good examples of means of improving working conditions and reducing accident risks. The local IR-heaters can increase skin temperature of fingers about 7˚C in normal cold work. The improvement of 3˚C can be reached by using insulating material in the handle of tools. By using these technical improvements we can reduce the health risks but also improve work performance and even energy savings at work places.

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“…Recent years have shown an increasing trend in the number of hill-walking/mountain incidents and cognitive fatigue may be a causal factor of such incidents as it is key in areas of orientation, safety, decision-making and reactions to challenging situations (1,2) .Twenty-three participants (19 males, 4 females; ages: 18-72 years) entered in the Longmynd Hike [50 mile race; mean completion time: 16.0 (SD: 3.2) h] completed a weighed food inventory of all items consumed during the event. Cognitive performance tests (e.g.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of macronutrient intake on the well-being and cognitive performance of recreational mountain marathon competitors

2010

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While the majority of sports nutrition research assesses the effects of nutrition on physical performance, there have been fewer studies focusing on cognitive performance and general well-being, the latter perhaps being as, if not more, important to the recreational athlete than overall performance. Recent years have shown an increasing trend in the number of hill-walking/mountain incidents and cognitive fatigue may be a causal factor of such incidents as it is key in areas of orientation, safety, decision-making and reactions to challenging situations (1,2) .Twenty-three participants (19 males, 4 females; ages: 18-72 years) entered in the Longmynd Hike [50 mile race; mean completion time: 16.0 (SD: 3.2) h] completed a weighed food inventory of all items consumed during the event. Cognitive performance tests (e.g. reaction time tasks and Stroop tests) and subjective ratings of well-being using a visual-analogue scale were performed before and after the race. A post-race questionnaire provided information on incidents and symptoms experienced and participants provided a perceived rate of exertion score using the Borg 6-20 scale (3) . All data are expressed as means (SD), statistical significance P < 0.05.Macronutrient intakes are shown below. No significant differences in nutrient intakes were seen between age groups or males and females. Total protein (g/kg/h) showed positive correlation with perceived rate of exertion (P < 0.01) and post-race scores of tiredness and mental fatigue (P < 0.05). No associations were found with intakes of fat, CHO or energy and well-being markers. Energy (kJ/kg/h) and CHO (g/kg/h) were negatively associated with time taken to complete the post-race reaction time test indicating they may be beneficial in sustaining vigilance and perception during prolonged exercise. Such attributes appear to be important in mountain marathon events as significant differences were seen in post-race reaction time between those reporting losing their way [4180.5 (1025.2) Previous research regarding cognitive function and diet composition at rest has reported limited evidence regarding the effects of macronutrients (4) . However, the findings from this study suggest that perhaps in a fatigued, potentially energy-deficient state, the macronutrient composition of the diet may play a more significant role. It appears that increasing CHO and decreasing protein consumption during endurance events may help to improve cognitive performance and well-being, respectively.

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Effect of repeated exposures to cold on cognitive performance in humans

Cited by 131 publications

References 26 publications

Situational impairments to mobile interaction in cold environments

Situational impairments to mobile interaction in cold environments

Safety at Work in Cold Environments and Prevention of Cold Stress

The influence of macronutrient intake on the well-being and cognitive performance of recreational mountain marathon competitors

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