The effectiveness of heat preparation and alleviation strategies for cognitive performance: A systematic review

Abstract

A range of occupational and performance contexts (e.g. military personnel operations, emergency services, sport) require the critical maintenance of cognitive performance in environmentally challenging environments. Several reviews exist which evaluate the effectiveness of heat preparation strategies to facilitate physical performance. To date, no review has explored the usefulness of heat preparation strategies for cognitive performance. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to evaluate a range of interventions for the maintenance of cognitive performance, during or following active or passive heat exposure. Studies to be included were assessed by two authors reviewing title, abstract, and full-text. Forty articles were identified which met the inclusion criteria. Interventions were categorised into chronic (i.e. acclimation/acclimatisation) and acute strategies (i.e. hydration, cooling, supplementation, psychological). The results indicate that medium-term consecutive heat acclimation may mitigate some cognitive deficits under heat stress, although heat acclimation effectiveness could be influenced by age. Further, pre-cooling appears the most effective cooling method for maintaining cognitive performance under heat stress, although results were somewhat ambiguous. The hydration literature showed that the most effective hydration strategies were those which individualised electrolyte fortified fluid volumes to match for sweat loss. Limited research exploring psychological interventions indicates that motivational self-talk could be facilitative for maintaining cognitive skills following exercise in hot conditions. These findings can be used to help inform strategies for maintaining critical cognitive and decision-making skills in hot environments.

Shifting focus: Time to look beyond the classic physiological adaptations associated with human heat acclimation

“…Taken together, it is difficult to determine if heat acclimation represents an effective strategy to minimize the detrimental effects of heat stress on cognitive performance, when they occur. More efforts are needed to pursue our understanding of the role that heat acclimation may have in mitigating the adverse effects of heat on cognitive functioning, as recently highlighted by Donnan et al (2023).…”

“…More efforts are needed to pursue our understanding of the role that heat acclimation may have in mitigating the adverse effects of heat on cognitive functioning, as recently highlighted by Donnan et al. ( 2023 ).…”