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Hyperthermia and dehydration: their independent and combined influences on physiological function during rest and exercise

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Abstract

Purpose

This experiment was designed to quantify the independent and combined influences of hyperthermia and dehydration on effector control during rest and exercise.

Methods

To achieve that, whole-body hydration of healthy adults (N = 8) was manipulated into each of three states (euhydrated, 3% and 5% dehydrated), and then clamped within each of two thermal states (normothermia [mean body temperature: 36.1 °C] and moderate hyperthermia [mean body temperature: 38.2 °C]). Those treatment combinations provided six levels of physiological strain, with resting physiological data collected at each level. The effects of isothermal, thermally unclamped and incremental exercise were then investigated in normothermic individuals during each level of hydration.

Results

At rest, dehydration alone reduced urine flows by 83% (3% dehydrated) and 93% (5% dehydrated), while the reduction accompanying euhydrated hyperthermia was 86%. The sensitivities of renal water conservation to 3% dehydration (−21% mOsm−1 kg H2O−1) and moderate hyperthermia (−40% °C−1) were independent and powerful. Evidence was found for different renal mechanisms governing water conservation between those treatments. Cutaneous vasomotor and central cardiac responses were unresponsive to dehydration, but highly sensitive to passive thermal stress. Dehydration did not impair either whole-body or regional sweating during rest or exercise, and not even during incremental cycling to volitional exhaustion.

Conclusion

In all instances, the physiological impact of these thermal- and hydration-state stresses was independently expressed, with no evidence of interactive influences. Renal water-conservation was independently and powerfully modified, exposing possible between-treatment differences in sodium reabsorption.

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Abbreviations

SD:

Standard deviation

CVI :

Intra-individual coefficient of variation

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Acknowledgements

The participants within this investigation performed above and beyond all reasonable expectations, and the authors are very appreciative of their commitment and generosity. AMJvdH held an Australian Post-Graduate Award from the University of Wollongong (Australia) throughout this investigation. NAST was supported during the writing of this manuscript by the Brain Pool Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Science and Information, Communication and Technology (Grant number: 2019H1D3A2A01061171). No other funding was provided by agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Centre for Human and Applied Physiology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia

    Anne M. J. van den Heuvel, Benjamin J. Haberley, David J. R. Hoyle, Gregory E. Peoples & Nigel A. S. Taylor

  2. Australian Centre for Electromagnetic Bioeffects Research, School of Psychology, Illawarra Health & Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia

    Rodney J. Croft & Nigel A. S. Taylor

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  1. Anne M. J. van den Heuvel
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  2. Benjamin J. Haberley
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  3. David J. R. Hoyle
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  5. Gregory E. Peoples
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  6. Nigel A. S. Taylor
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Contributions

AMJvdH, NAST and RJC designed and planned this research, and were involved in data analysis and all phases of manuscript preparation. AMJvdH ran the experiments and was also responsible for data collection. BJH and DJRH were essential participants in subject preparation, data collection, laboratory operations and manuscript preparation. GEP assisted with pilot testing, experimental design, data collection and analysis, and manuscript writing. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript and its submission for publication, and agree to be accountable for this work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. All persons designated as authors qualify for authorship, and all those who qualify for authorship have been listed as authors.

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Correspondence to Nigel A. S. Taylor.

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van den Heuvel, A.M.J., Haberley, B.J., Hoyle, D.J.R. et al. Hyperthermia and dehydration: their independent and combined influences on physiological function during rest and exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 120, 2813–2834 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-020-04493-4

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