Abstract
The present study examined the effects of body cooling by spraying water on physiological and psychological responses during bicycle exercise in a hot environment. Eight college-aged cyclists performed bicycle exercise using a road racer at 40 km/h for 90 min in an environmental simulation room maintained at 35 ℃ and 80% relative humidity. The exercise experiments were repeated twice, with or without spraying of water on whole body after 60 min of exercise, presented in random order. As the results, spraying water attenuated body temperature elevation and decreased heart rate, oxygen uptake, and score of thermal sensation during the last 30 min of exercise. These results suggest that spraying water on the body decreased physiological and mental stress during bicycle exercise in a hot environment. Thus, spraying water may be a beneficial way of body cooling, which prevents the heat stroke and maintains the exercise performance during outdoor practice in heat.
