The purpose of this study is to analyze the relations between changes in sweating, fluid intake and those in environmental temperature and pool water temperature (PWT) while one is swimming. The subjects were 10 male and 12 female high school students who practiced swimming long distances after school (15:30~18:30) in summer. Their sweating rate (SR), fluid intake (FI), and dehydration (SR-FI, DEH) were measured.
The PWT ambient temperature (dry bulb temperature, DBT), and wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) during swimming were 26.1~31.3℃, 20.8~34.0℃, and 20.3~29.7℃ respectively, which shows that PWT correlated with DBT or WBGT significantly (p< 0.001). The mean values of SR during swimming were about the same with males (0.340kg/h) and females (0.347kg/h). However, the mean value of FI in females (0.176kg/h) was lower than that in males (0.243kg/h). The SR, FI, and DEH measured when PWT was higher than 30.0℃ were two times greater than those measured when PWT was lower than 29.9℃. The SR, FI, and DEH significantly (p< 0.05 ~ 0.001) correlated with PWT or WBGT, while the correlation coefficients (r) of SR,FI, and DEH with PWT were greater than those with WBIGT.
These results suggest that environmental temperatures (WBGT, DBT) are related to the elevation in PWT, and that SR remarkably increases when PWT is higher than 30.0℃. Thus, fluid supply in swimming, is as important as in land exercise, when PWT is over 30.0℃ in summer.
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