The Physiological Effects of Face Masks During Workouts

<img load = "lazy" alt = "stop tidal carbon" class = "imagecache-full_width" src = "https://cdn2.omidoo.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/full_width/images/bydate/ 202101 / endtidalcarbondioxidelevelresearch .jpg "title =" Mean changes in end-tidal carbon dioxide during the exercise test, which was carried out on 16 subjects without a mask, with a surgical mask and with an N95 respirator. Error bars represent a 95% confidence interval. * Show a significant confidence interval for differences (P .

Despite the gym closings and lockdown inconsistencies, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is an important strategy to protect yourself during the coronavirus pandemic (1). Even if social media chatters and opinions disagree, reality doesn't change: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing a mask or cloth face covering in public, especially in places where it's difficult Maintaining Social Distance and Mass Masking is an inexpensive and easy way to complement social distancing and other methods of controlling infection rates. Research also shows that gyms, like many other public spaces, are a source of virus transmission (2) and that masking should be part of the workout and exercise experience. This is especially true if the activity is aerobic (3).

Researchers at the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Israel, studied the physiological effects of face masks during exercise to assess the effects on the student. They found that masking during aerobic exercise had minimal and statistically inconsistent effects on heart rate, breathing rate, breathing, and blood oxygen saturation. However, use of an N95 ventilator indicated an increase in EtCO2 (End Tidal Carbod Dioxide) levels, a measure of carboxy dioxide production and clearance with breathing. This increase could also be explained by the fact that when a mask is worn, the exhaled air is inhaled again. Granted, airway exposure to elevated levels of carbon dioxide can affect performance, cause headaches, confusion, stupor, and increases in heart and breathing rates. Short term exposure and intermittent exposure can also lead to improvements in respiratory muscle development and better performance.

The research does not examine the effects of wearing masks from a psychological point of view, and it is not broad enough to draw specific conclusions about any particular populations, since it is an all-male group of subjects. It is therefore best not to generalize the results. However, you can simply stay out of the slipstream of anyone who exercises intensely and keep your distance (5). It used to be called an ounce of prevention that today looks like a million years ago, at a time when people's opinions about anything are extremely polarized.

Reference:

1. Epstein, D., Korytny, A., Isenberg, Y., Marcusohn, E., Zukermann, R., Bishop, B., Minha, S., Raz, A. & Miller, A. (2021). Back to Training in the COVID-19 Era: The Physiological Effects of Face Masks During Exercise. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sport, 31 (1), 70–75. 2. K. J. Gontjes, K. E. Gibson, B. Lansing, M. Cassone & L. Mody (2020). Contamination of the common room and the rehabilitation hall with multi-resistant organisms. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 68 (3), 478-485. 3. Leung, NHL, Chu, DKW, Shiu, EYC, Chan, K.-H., McDevitt, JJ, Hau, BJP, Yen, H.-L., Li, Y., Ip, DKM, Peiris, JSM , Seto, W.-H., Leung, GM, Milton, DK & Cowling, BJ (2020). Exhaling the respiratory virus when exhaling and effectiveness of face masks. Nature Medicine, 26 (5), 676-680.