Working in the sun: Heating of the head may markedly affect safety and performance
Prolonged exposure of the head to strong sunlight significantly impairs cognitively dominated functions and coordination of complex motor tasks

Date:
June 16, 2020
Source:
Faculty of Science - University of Copenhagen
Summary:
Prolonged exposure of the head to strong sunlight significantly
impairs cognitively dominated functions and coordination of complex
motor tasks shows a new study. This may have important implications
for work safety and productivity.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Approximately half of the global population live in regions where heat
stress is an issue that affects the ability to live healthy and productive lives. It is well known that working in hot conditions, and the associated hyperthermia (rise in body temperature), may impair the ability to perform physically demanding manual work. However, the effects on cognitively
dominated functions, and specifically the influence from sunlight exposure
on human brain temperature and function have not been documented.


==========================================================================
This new study shows clear negative effects of prolonged exposure of
the head to sunlight, implying that we may have underestimated its
true effects, as previous studies have traditionally been conducted
in the laboratory, without accounting for the marked effect that sun
radiation may have -- in particular, when the head is exposed for a
prolonged period.

"The novelty of the study is that we provide evidence that direct
exposure to sunlight -- especially to the head -- impairs motor and
cognitive performance," says professor Lars Nybo, the project coordinator
from Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, UCPH. He continues,
"Adding to this, the decline in motor and cognitive performance was
observed at 38.5 degrees, which is a 1 degree lower body temperature
than previous studies have shown, which is a substantial difference."
Direct sunlight to the head may affect productivity Many workers in agriculture, construction and transport are at risk from being affected by exposure to strong sunlight, such as we experience in Europe the summer
months. Postdoc Jacob Piil and professor Lars Nybo from UCPH headed
this study in collaboration with colleagues from Thessaly University in
Greece and they are convinced that the finding have implications not
only for the workers' health, but also for their work performance and
safety: "Health and performance impairments provoked by thermal stress
are societal challenges intensifying with global warming and that is a prolonged problem we must try to mitigate. But we must also adapt solution
to prevent the current negative effects when e.g. workers are exposed
and this study emphasize that it is of great importance that people
working or undertaking daily activities outside should protect their
head against sunlight. The ability to maintain concentration and avoid attenuation of motor-cognitive performance is certainly of relevance for
work and traffic safety as well as for minimizing the risks of making
mistakes during other daily tasks," says associate professor Andreas
Flouris from FAME Laboratory in Greece.

Taken together, these results suggest that science may have underestimated
the true impact of heat stress, for example during a heat wave, as
solar radiation has not been investigated before. Future studies should incorporate sunlight, as this seems to have a selective effect on the
head and the brain.

These findings highlight the importance of including the effect of
sunlight radiative heating of the head and neck in future scientific evaluations of environmental heat stress impacts, and specific protection
of the head to minimize harmful effects.

Facts about the study Eight healthy, active males, aged 27 -- 41,
participated in the study. The motor-cognitive test consisted of
four different computer math and logical tasks that relied on fine
motor precision. Four lamps were positioned to radiate either on the
lower-body or on the head (back, sides and top -- to avoid blinding of
the participants).


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Faculty_of_Science_-_University_of_Copenhagen. Note: Content may be
edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Jacob F. Piil, Lasse Christiansen, Nathan B. Morris, C. Jacob
Mikkelsen,
Leonidas G. Ioannou, Andreas D. Flouris, Jesper Lundbye-Jensen,
Lars Nybo. Direct exposure of the head to solar heat radiation
impairs motor- cognitive performance. Scientific Reports, 2020;
10 (1) DOI: 10.1038/ s41598-020-64768-w ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200616083404.htm

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