2023 Volume 25 Issue 2 Pages 149-154
BACKGROUND： Due to the COVID-19, it is recommended to wear a facemask. Mask-wearing may increase the physical burden during exercise. OBJECTIVE： This study aimed to compare the eff ects of a mask-wearing and ambient room temperature on heart rate（ HR）, autonomic nervous system activity, and rating of perceived exertion （RPE） during a bicycle exercise. METHODS： Thirty healthy university students participated in four bicycle exercise sessions, performed at the intensity of anaerobic threshold for 10 minutes. During these sessions, participants were subjected to two temperatures, 20℃ and 24℃ , and were either, while wearing a mask or not. We measured the electrocardiogram（ ECG） and RPE during exercise. HR and rate of change in autonomic nervous system activity were evaluated by the ECG. RESULTS： We observed signifi cant changes in HR（ p < 0.001） and RPE（ p = 0.0026） between diff erent room temperatures and whether or not a mask was used. RPE was signifi cantly higher during mask-wearing sessions than during no mask sessions at 24℃ . However, there were no signifi cant changes in the rate of change in autonomic nervous system activity, regardless of room temperature or mask-wearing. CONCLUSION： Our results suggest that physiological discomfort associated with mask-wearing can be reduced by decreasing the ambient room temperature.
