Physiological and perceptual responses of wearing a dryrobe for rewarming after passive cold-water immersion in men

Read, Dale ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6367-0261, Flood, Tessa R ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8897-0957, Harwood, Amy E ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5745-2564, Dos'Santos, Thomas ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2715-0116, Weakley, Jonathon ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7892-4885 and Evans, Gethin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7530-1164 (2024) Physiological and perceptual responses of wearing a dryrobe for rewarming after passive cold-water immersion in men. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 10 (3). e001934. ISSN 2055-7647

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Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the physiological and perceptual responses to wearing a dryrobe® for rewarming after passive cold-water immersion (CWI). Methods: Fifteen unhabituated healthy Caucasian males (age: 28.9 (5.4) years) attended the laboratory on three occasions and performed passive CWI (14°C) for 30-min followed by 15-min of rewarming wearing either a dryrobe®, towel, or foil blanket while positioned in front of fans replicating a 10-mph wind. Physiological (deep body temperature, skin temperature, and heart rate) and perceptual (thermal sensation and thermal comfort) variables were measured. Results: At 15-min post-immersion, deep body temperature was higher in the dryrobe® condition (mean: 37.09 (standard deviation: 0.49)°C) compared with the foil blanket (36.98 (0.64)°C) and towel (36.99 (0.49)°C) (p<0.001). On average across the 15-min post-immersion period, the dryrobe® increased skin temperature to the greatest degree (18.9 (1.0)°C, +2.4°C), compared to the foil blanket (18.1 (1.2)°C, +1.8°C, p=0.034) and the towel (16.6 (1.2)°C, +1.3°C, p<0.001). Average heart rate across the 15-min post-immersion period was lower when wearing the dryrobe® (dryrobe®: 74 (10) b.min-1, foil blanket: 78 (6) b.min-1 and towel: 82 (14) b.min-1 (p=0.015). Thermal sensation and thermal comfort were higher at all post-immersion time points in the dryrobe® compared to the foil blanket and towel. Conclusions: During the rewarming period following CWI, physiological and perceptual responses are improved when wearing clothing that combines an insulative layer with a vapor barrier, such as the dryrobe® compared to a towel or foil blanket. This might have future implications for safety recommendations during rewarming.