The Effect of Cold Exposure on Physiological Markers

The Effect of Cold Water Immersion on Physiological Markers

The goal of this observational study is to examine how different physiological markers change over a two-day period after long-duration whole-body cold-water immersion in healthy young men and women. Specifically, the study aims to address the following questions:

• How do kynurenine pathway metabolites change after cold exposure?
• How do stress markers change after cold exposure?
• How do cytokine levels change after cold exposure?
• How do white blood cells count and distribution change after cold exposure?

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy adults;
• Age between 18 and 36 years;
• No excessive sporting activities;
• No participation in any temperature-manipulation program or exposure to extreme temperatures within the past 12 weeks.

Exclusion Criteria

• Smokers;
• Use of medication that could affect natural thermoregulation;
• Body mass index greater than 30 kg/m²;
• History of asthma, neurological conditions, cardiovascular disease, or any condition that could be adversely affected by cold exposure.