About this Research Topic
The Covid-19 pandemic made people more aware of their health and regained importance. The offer and the interest in the field of health optimization seem to have increased since then. Environmental stressors are currently popular interventions and regained attention among the general population and athletes, to positively affect the human system. Common environmental stressors are cold and hot-water immersion, whole-body cryotherapy, hyperthermia, sauna therapy or hypoxic exposures, among many others. To date, several research articles are available documenting the possible effects of cold, heat and hypoxic training on health-related variables. These outcome variables include, but are not limited to, the immune system, inflammatory regulation, mitochondrial functioning, physical and mental performance, overall wellbeing, and sleep quality. Despite the growing number of studies in this area, there are still issues, discussed controversially. These conflicting issues can be attributed to various factors, such as the use of different environmental doses, unconsidered sex differences and the nature of exercise protocol in combination with the environmental stressor.
In this research topic, we would like to invite researchers to submit articles on the effects of cold, heat and hypoxia on human health. The work can be focused on a specific environmental stressor (e.g. whole-body cryotherapy, infrared sauna, altitude training,…), or combined stressor (cold and heat, cold and hypoxia, with exercise,…) in a healthy or patient population.
We welcome scientists to submit manuscripts in the form of narrative reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analysis or meta-regressions, original articles, case studies, or commentaries/perspectives on this research topic.
Topics of interest include:
• Any kind of cold, heat or hypoxic stimulus on human health
• Studies in a healthy population or diseased population
• Cold, heat or hypoxia for disease prevention
• Cold, heat or hypoxia as a treatment for patients
• Practical applications of environmental stressors in a healthy and patient population
• Physiological mechanisms resulting from cold, heat and hypoxic treatments
• Combination of environmental stressors in healthy and diseased population
• Sex differences in the use of cold, heat and hypoxic treatments
• Safety during cold, heat and hypoxic stimuli
We strongly encourage the submission of manuscripts where physiological data are presented to unravel the potential mechanisms and effects of the environmental stressors.
In this research topic, we would like to invite researchers to submit articles on the effects of cold, heat and hypoxia on human health. The work can be focused on a specific environmental stressor (e.g. whole-body cryotherapy, infrared sauna, altitude training,…), or combined stressor (cold and heat, cold and hypoxia, with exercise,…) in a healthy or patient population.
We welcome scientists to submit manuscripts in the form of narrative reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analysis or meta-regressions, original articles, case studies, or commentaries/perspectives on this research topic.
Topics of interest include:
• Any kind of cold, heat or hypoxic stimulus on human health
• Studies in a healthy population or diseased population
• Cold, heat or hypoxia for disease prevention
• Cold, heat or hypoxia as a treatment for patients
• Practical applications of environmental stressors in a healthy and patient population
• Physiological mechanisms resulting from cold, heat and hypoxic treatments
• Combination of environmental stressors in healthy and diseased population
• Sex differences in the use of cold, heat and hypoxic treatments
• Safety during cold, heat and hypoxic stimuli
We strongly encourage the submission of manuscripts where physiological data are presented to unravel the potential mechanisms and effects of the environmental stressors.
Keywords: cold, heat, hypoxia, cryotherapy, exercise, health, disease prevention, treatment
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
