Can a lunchtime stroll in summers affect cognitive functions?

Do you love to walk around in lunchtime, when in school or office, even when it is rather hot outside in summers? If yes, a new study suggests that it can affect your cognitive function.

Ample amount of studies have shown that being in a hot environment reduces one's cognitive performance. A brief walk can enhance cognition. But what happens when you go for a brief walk on a nice, hot summer day, as so many students and office workers do during lunch breaks? A recent study has suggested that one might be better off avoiding the heat.

In a study published in 'Building and Environment', researchers from the University of Tsukuba discovered that just 15 minutes of walking outside on a hot day impaired cognitive performance, and this was most striking in men who don't get enough sleep.

Those who work or study in urban heat islands, such as large cities in Japan, generally have the convenience of air-conditioning indoors over the summer months, which largely counters the negative impact of heat on learning and productivity. However, brief exposure to hot environments during commuting or breaks is inevitable, and whether such exposure affects cognition has not been known.

"Previous experiments have used specialized climate chambers to test these effects. However, outdoor thermal environment differs significantly from indoor thermal environments in terms of radiation and wind," said senior author Professor Hiroyuki Kusaka. "Radiation and wind have significant effects on thermal perception. Therefore, in order to assess the effects of outdoor heat stress on cognitive performance, experiments should be conducted in real outdoor environments."

Researchers simulated a real-world scenario during the Japanese summer in which workers or students leave an air-conditioned indoor environment to walk or have a break in a hot outdoor urban environment. Ninety-six students completed a simple arithmetic test in an air-conditioned room before either staying indoors, walking outside or resting outside for 15 minutes.

They then returned indoors to complete a second arithmetic test, and any changes in performance were measured. Walking in a hot outdoor environment impaired cognitive performance; however, it was not simply the exposure to the hot environment that impaired cognition. Rather, it was the combination of walking and being outside in the summer heat that had impacted cognitive performance. Furthermore, this effect was more pronounced in people, specifically men, who were sleep-deprived, having slept less than 5 hours.

The team hoped that their findings will help guide ways to improve productivity and learning in workers and students in Japan, and perhaps even further afield as the impact of climate change moves to the forefront.

(ANI)