Physiological Responses to Exercise - Case Study Example

Introduction The homeostasis of thermal regulation is constantly being pushed and ambushed by stressors like environmental conditions and rigorous exercise routines. Once these stressors come into play, the body has to find ways to modify its internal working through fluctuations in metabolic activities (Sinclair, Crowe, Spinks and Leicht, 2007, p. 38). Metabolic regulation is one of the ways through which the body fights to maintain thermal equilibrium. It follows then that both physiological and behavioural mechanisms have to interplay at different levels to regulate body temperature especially during intense physical activities. To compound matters further, the physiological response of the body to stress during stress is different in children and adults (Binkley, Beckett, Casa, Kleiner and Plummer, 2002, p. 339). These physiological responses are pegged on several factors such as respiration and cardiovascular system. When carrying out training exercise for children in stressing environment with high temperatures and humidity, special care must be taken to prepare them (Ratel, Lazaar, Dore, Baquet, et al. 2004, p. 275; Zafeiridis, 2005, p. 515). This paper will then tackle the issue of physiological responses to stress emanating from training and heat stressors. Physiological responses to exercise between adults and children The ability of the body of children to regulate temperature is similar to that of adults although they occur through different mechanisms. This becomes apparent when the children are exposed to extreme environmental conditions like extreme temperatures and exercises. The difference in physiological responses occurs during the time of maturation due to morphologic and physiologic changes that have already occurred in adults thereby making children disadvantaged especially when training in hot environment (Hillman, Vince, Taylor, McNaughton, Mitchell and Siegler, 2011, p. 702). One of the differences is occasioned by mass to surface area ratio in both children and adults. The body of children has lower surface to mass ratio as compared to that of adults which then puts them at a disadvantage when training in hot and humid environment (Sawka and Montain, 2000, p. 568). At optimum or normal environmental conditions, the response of the body in conducting away the heat generated by training is the same but this change when external temperatures increase. The sweating mechanism is quite efficient as a form radiating away heat but it is not efficient when it comes to a combined heat from training and hot conditions. This mechanism becomes quite inefficient in regulating internal temperatures of the body. The larger the body surface, the faster the heat generated internally is conducted away from the body. However, the body of an adolescent has not been accustomed to conducting away larger amounts of body heat and therefore sweating is not efficient. Sweating ideally brings about a cooling effect after evaporation of the sweat due to the latent heat of evaporation (Skein, Duffield, Cannon and Marino, 2012, p. 244; Sparling, 2000, p. 5). Another difference comes in through the respiratory system which is basically concerned with exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide within the body. In the body, certain amount of air is exchanged in a minute which is referred to as ventilation (Casa, D.J. 1999, p. 258). There is a difference in the ventilation volume between children and adults in that children have a high frequency and tidal volume than adults. It therefore means that children are actually at an advantage because they have a smaller body a high number of ventilation (Beneke, Hutler and Leithauser, 2007, p. 673). However, the difference is brought in by dead space which is smaller in children than in adults. Dead space alludes to a small portion of air that is trapped within lungs and is not part of air exchange taking place within the alveoli. The small volume of the dead space in children therefore means that more oxygen is available for breathing (Boisseau, N. 2001, p. 412). Things to Know About the Children before Training The health condition of the children should be known by asking them and subjecting them to rigorous physical examination by physicians. Information about one’s health is very important because it will determine whether the child will survive the harsh hot environment without falling to heat illness. There are many parameters to check on such as BMI (body mass index) which is an indicator of the general health of the body (Ross, Jeacocke, Laursen, Martin, Abbiss and Burke, 2012, p. 6). Children that are obese usually have a high BMI and are highly predisposed to getting sick under intense training at high temperatures. Equally important is their circulation system condition and presence of respiratory diseases such as asthma (Hoffman and Maresh, 2011, p. 12; Kruseman, Bucher, Bovard, Kayser and Bovier, 2005, p. 156). Respiratory diseases are usually exacerbated and worsened by intense training especially in children. The sleeping patterns of children are quite rigid and many times they may not fit in training schedules of many camps. Sleep is the biological response of the body in which it repairs and restores lost energy and damaged tissues of the body. Twice daily training in hot climate requires around 6-8 hours of sleep for the children at the cool of the day so that the body may fully require. Closely related to sleeping patterns is medication and drugs that the children may be using (Burke, 2001, p. 742; Marino, 2002, p. 93). Some drugs usually impair movement and make an individual quite slow especially in matters pertaining to training. Some of the drugs may be analgesics or normal prescription drugs which usually interfere with mental preparedness. The other important thing to know or inquire from the children is their hydration condition status with regards to how often they take fluids (Williams, Raven, Fogt and Ivy, 2003, p. 14). Efforts to Maximise Performance Minimise Injury and Heat Illness The first effort should be to make sure that the appropriate medical care is sourced. On top of this, the training personnel should be composed of experts knowledgeable on matters pertaining to heat illness recognition, treatment and prevention. Health care providers should be allowed to attend practice sessions so that they can evaluate and determine players that exhibit the slightest signs of ill health (Rowland, 2008, p. 721). Moreover, they should also have the power and authority to discontinue training and playing of players that seem afflicted by heat illness. It is also highly recommended that a thorough supervision by qualified physicians be conducted on the players as part of pre-participation medical screening. This pre-screening exercise is carried out to know and probably remove players from the team that are highly predisposed to heat illness. Some of the players may be more predisposed to risk factors than others and thereby it may be worthwhile to leave them behind (Cleary, Hetzler, Wasson, Wages, Stickley and Kimura, 2012, p. 279; Klimek, Lubkowska, Szyguła, Chudecka, and Frączek, 2010, p. 181). It is highly important to acclimatize the players to heat training since the camp will be held in a high humid and hot region. This acclimatization program is supposed to be gradual within 10 to 14 days before the actual training or playing begins. As the acclimatization program continues, it should become progressively intense with more strenuous activities over long hours. Acclimatization is often achieved when players can continuously train up to two hours continuously in similar conditions in which they are going to play in. All the entire period of heat acclimatization, is important for the players to be properly hydrated as it will determine their success in the process. To make the players safer, it is recommended that they be taught the importance of hydration and how they should keep themselves hydrated (Falk and Dotan, 2006, p. 109; Phillips, Sproule, & Turner, 2011, p. 569). Field based monitoring to Maximise Performance It is important to check and know the environmental conditions before, during and after a training activity. This is geared towards avoiding the hottest time of the day especially between 11 am and 5 pm. Direct radiant sunlight is usually most prominent during this period of time and may cause a lot of heat illnesses. This is a way of modifying training undertaken in high risk conditions to avert exertional illnesses. In this regards, children that are susceptible to illness are identified since some of the illnesses associated with heat training are sublime and usually do not appear until before collapsing. When and if intense training must be undertaken during midday period, then a high amount of fluids must be taken so that dehydration may be thwarted. When dehydration plaques a team, the goals and objectives that the team wants to achieve may not be realized (Havemann, and Bosch, 2008, p. 149). The amount of clothing that is worn during training should be monitored so as to dress appropriately depending on the environmental conditions. For instance, in football training, wearing full uniform usually impairs 60% evaporation of sweat from the body which is not good especially in hot environments. The equipment used during training should also be consistent with hot environmental conditions whereby not much energy will be expended. Clothing should be light and loosely fitting such that the body is free. When the body is free, it has a high surface area in which to radiate heat away during training. Closely associated with clothing is to conduct minimal warm up and if it has be lengthy, then it should be conducted under a shade. This minimizes conduct with direct sun and averts cases of heat illnesses (Casa, & Director, 2004, p.5327). Guideline for the Period of Training in a Hot Environment The intensity of training should also be monitored besides matching training schedules with environmental conditions. Ideally, environmental conditions and exercise intensity should are the major determinants of breaks and length of training sessions. It is therefore highly recommended to postpone or moved training indoors when the prevailing environmental conditions are extreme. Enough rest time times should be availed besides having training equipments and gear that are consistent with exercise strain and environmental conditions. During periods of break, hydration should be done through taking a lot of fluids. Mealtimes should be lengthy to allow replenishing of lost fluids and electrolytes. High risk players should be weighed after and before playing or practice session so that the amount of body fluids lost during a training session may be known. This is important because the lost weight due to fluids loss must be gained back through adequate intake of fluids. It is usually regained through taking 1-1.25 L of fluid per every kilogram of weight lost during training. The nearby hospitals and other emergency personnel should be notified of the presence of the training camp in area so that they may be ready to respond to emergency calls. It is usually anticipated that training camps involving children never lack to have emergency cases of heat illnesses due to acclimatization problems. There should be a mandate hydration status check especially in sports that are weight sensitive to make sure that the children are not dehydrated. Procedures that are geared towards inducing dehydration for instance diuretics and sauna bathing should be completely banned. Players that are dehydrated and exercise at the same conditions as euhydrated athletes are highly predisposed to developing thermoregulatory strain. Develop and formulate practice guidelines that are informed by potential problems that can arise when players train in hot and humid conditions as dictated by WBGT (wet-bulb globe temperature). It critical to note that WBGT measures are based on environmental risk of stress for players that are assumed to be wearing shorts and playing T-shirts. In case the players in questions are wearing other types of clothes and the environmental conditions are extreme, then preventive measures for heat illness should be sought. To be on the safe side, it is important to make sure that emergency equipment and services are ready. Moreover, the intensity of training should be moderated, loose clothing and equipment worn and the number of rests should be increased generally to allow for recuperation. Conclusion The homeostasis of thermal regulation is constantly being pushed and ambushed by stressors like environmental conditions and rigorous exercise routines. The body of a child and n adult are almost similar when it comes to physiological responses to stress especially during training. However, there are some differences which are occasioned by the acclimatization, circulation system, cardiovascular system and predisposing factors to heat illness. Before taking children to training camps especially in hot and humid environments, certain information are necessary. This information includes general health information such as BMI index, sleeping patterns and hydration status. In hot environments, taking a lot of fluids is quite important in order to avoid heat illnesses. Most cases of heat illness are causes by poor hydration and lack of good acclimatization practices. It is quite therefore essential that players undergo an acclimatization training 10-14 days before the start of the training camp. To be on the safe side, it is important to make sure that emergency equipment and services are ready. Moreover, the intensity of training should be moderated, loose clothing and equipment worn and the number of rests should be increased generally to allow for recuperation. 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