Human cold habituation: Physiology, timeline, and modifiers

Abstract

Habituation is an adaptation seen in many organisms, defined by a reduction in the response to repeated stimuli. Evolutionarily, habituation is thought to benefit the organism by allowing conservation of metabolic resources otherwise spent on sub-lethal provocations including repeated cold exposure. Hypermetabolic and/or insulative adaptations may occur after prolonged and severe cold exposures, resulting in enhanced cold defense mechanisms such as increased thermogenesis and peripheral vasoconstriction, respectively. Habituation occurs prior to these adaptations in response to short duration mild cold exposures, and, perhaps counterintuitively, elicits a reduction in cold defense mechanisms demonstrated through higher skin temperatures, attenuated shivering, and reduced cold sensations. These habituated responses likely serve to preserve peripheral tissue temperature and conserve energy during non-life threatening cold stress. The purpose of this review is to define habituation in general terms, present evidence for the response in non-human species, and provide an up-to-date, critical examination of past studies and the potential physiological mechanisms underlying human cold habituation. Our aim is to stimulate interest in this area of study and promote further experiments to understand this physiological adaptation.

Combining adaptive and heat balance models for thermal sensation prediction: A new approach towards a theory and data‐driven adaptive thermal heat balance model

“…25 Other processes of adaptation to the cold, which are closer to those on the warm side, are for example adjustments of the skin temperature due to changes in vasoconstriction or a rising heart rate. Readers interested in further details are directed to the excellent review by Yurkevicius et al 24 Applying these findings for physiological adaptation to the task of predicting adapted thermal sensation, two approaches are possible. Firstly, individual mechanisms of physiological adaptation could be modeled and implemented into the heat balance models.…”

“…Similar, human physiological adaptation to cold has been studied extensively as well 24 . Mechanisms are neither with respect to the processes involved nor their timeline solely the inverse of those described for the adaptation to warm conditions.…”

“…Other processes of adaptation to the cold, which are closer to those on the warm side, are for example adjustments of the skin temperature due to changes in vasoconstriction or a rising heart rate. Readers interested in further details are directed to the excellent review by Yurkevicius et al 24 …”

The Use of Post-Exercise Cooling as a Recovery Strategy: Unraveling the Controversies

“…Habituation throughout a cycle is evident and should be acknowledged (Louis et al, 2020). In case of occurrence, the thermal shock will be less amplified (Yurkevicius et al, 2021). Consider increasing the treatment dose over time to prevent this from happening.…”

Cryostimulation for Post-exercise Recovery in Athletes: A Consensus and Position Paper

“…Habituation throughout a cycle is evident and should be acknowledged (Louis et al, 2020 ). In case of occurrence, the thermal shock will be less amplified (Yurkevicius et al, 2021 ). Consider increasing the treatment dose over time to prevent this from happening.…”