Bruce E. Becker, M.D., and Kasee Hildenbrand, Ph.D. - Washington State University
In work presented last year at the WAHC, we found immersion temperature to be a very important variable in the response of young individuals to chest-depth immersion. We have gone on to study the responses of older individuals to see if there are important physiologic differences between younger and older populations. Our research focus has been the autonomic nervous system, which essentially acts as the control panel for many important biologic changes, including heart function and circulation. We found that both populations demonstrated statistically significant alterations of their autonomic nervous systems during immersion, and that there were some statistically significant differences between the populations. The trend and direction of these changes have important potential health-related implications. The results of this continuing research could potentially guide recommendations regarding optimal temperatures and durations for aquatic activity.
