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The effects of a novel personal comfort system on thermal comfort, physiology and perceived indoor environmental quality, and its health implications - Stimulating human thermoregulation without compromising thermal comfort.
| Content Provider | Europe PMC |
|---|---|
| Author | Luo, Wei Kramer, Rick de Kort, Yvonne Rense, Pascal van Marken Lichtenbelt, Wouter |
| Abstract | AbstractThe classical textbook interpretation of thermal comfort is that it occurs when the thermoregulatory effort is minimized. However, stimulating human thermoregulatory systems may benefit health and increase body thermal resilience. To address this gap, we tested a novel personal comfort system (PCS) that targets only the extremities and the head, leaving the rest of the body exposed to a moderately drifting temperature (17–25°C). A randomized, cross‐over study was conducted under controlled laboratory conditions, mimicking an office setting. Eighteen participants completed two scenarios, one with a PCS and another one without a PCS in 17–25°C ambient conditions. The results indicate that the PCS improved thermal comfort in 17–23°C and retained active thermoregulatory control. The torso skin temperature, underarm‐finger temperature gradients, energy expenditure, substrate oxidations and physical activity were not affected by the PCS in most cases. Only slight changes in cardiovascular responses were observed between the two scenarios. Moreover, the PCS boosted pleasure and arousal. At 25°C, the PCS did not improve thermal comfort, but significantly improved air quality perceptions and mitigated eye strain. These findings suggest that human physiological thermoregulation can be stimulated without compromising thermal comfort by using a PCS that only targets the extremities in cold conditions. |
| Related Links | https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC9298036&blobtype=pdf |
| Page Count | 17 |
| ISSN | 09056947 |
| Journal | Indoor Air |
| Volume Number | 32 |
| DOI | 10.1111/ina.12951 |
| PubMed Central reference number | PMC9298036 |
| Issue Number | 1 |
| PubMed reference number | 34724246 |
| e-ISSN | 16000668 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | John Wiley and Sons Inc. |
| Publisher Date | 2021-11-01 |
| Publisher Place | Hoboken |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Rights License | This is an open access article under the terms of the http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2021 The Authors. Indoor Air published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd |
| Subject Keyword | drifting temperature health indoor air quality personal comfort system thermal comfort thermoregulation |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
| Subject | Building and Construction Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health Environmental Engineering |
