Date of Award

7-2012

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Human Performance and Health Education

First Advisor

Dr. Christopher C. Cheatham

Second Advisor

Dr. YuanLong Liu

Third Advisor

Dr. Ross Sherman

Keywords

Exercise, cognition, hydration, ad-libitum, thermoregulation

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to quantify the effect of different hydration strategies on physiological and cognitive variables after an exercise bout in the heat. On three occasions, twelve males performed three heat stress tests of 50min at 60%VO2peak in a hot environment (32°C; 65%RH). The heat stress tests differed in hydration strategy to be implemented during exercise (NF: no fluid, AL: ad libitum, FR: full fluid replacement). A cognitive battery was administered pre-­ and post-­exercise to examine alterations in cognition. Fluid loss during NF was greater than the AL and FR (NF: 1.54 %; AL: 0.29 %; FR: 0.13 %). The NF condition experienced greater increases in core temperature, mean skin temperature, heart rate, rating of perceived exertion, and thermal sensation ~35-­50min into exercise compared to AL and FR. The AL condition experienced decreases in mean response time for the letter-­digit recognition test and pattern comparison (PC) tasks. The NF condition experienced decreases in mean and median response time for the PC task while FR only experienced a decrease in median response time. In conclusion, the AL strategy is optimal in minimizing thermoregulatory stress and producing cognitive benefits following a bout of moderate intensity exercise.

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