Effects of Room Temperature on Thermal Responses to Bathing of the Elderly

本研究的目的是探讨室内温度对老年人和年轻人洗澡时生理和主观反应的影响。试验室温度分别为10、15、20和25℃(50%Rh)。八名年轻男性受试者和八名老年男性受试者被要求在考场停留5分钟。然后要求在40℃的水中洗澡8分钟。洗澡后，受试者回到考场待了10分钟。在试验室中，老年人在10、15和20℃时的平均皮肤温度高于年轻人。老年人洗澡前后10、15、20℃时的收缩压均有显著升高。从另一方面来说。年轻人的收缩压没有明显的变化。在10、15和25℃时，年轻人的热感觉变化大于老年人。这些结果表明，在寒冷的环境中洗澡对老年人来说非常危险。我们曾调查过，在寒冷的环境中，老年人的血压上升速度比年轻人快，而且老年人对寒冷的反应迟缓。冬泳期间的这些生理和心理反应使老年人患严重疾病的风险很高，如中风和缺血性心脏病。

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of room temperature on physiological and subjective responses to bathing in the elderly and the young. Test-room temperatures were 10, 15, 20 and 25℃ (50%Rh). Eight young and eight old male subjects were asked to stay in the test-room for 5 minutes. and then asked to bathe in water at a temperature of 40℃ for 8 minutes. After bathing the subject returned to the test-room for 10 minutes. In the test-room, mean skin temperatures of the elderly at 10, 15 and 20℃ were higher than the young. The systolic blood pressure at 10, 15 and 20℃ of the elderly showed a significant increase before and after bathing. On the other hand. there were no distinct changes in systolic blood pressure for the young. Change in thermal sensations of the young were greater than the elderly at 10, 15 and 25℃. These results suggested that bathing in a cold environment is very dangerous for the elderly. We have surveyed that in a cold environment the blood pressure of the elderly increased more rapidly than that of young people and, moreover, that there was a delayed sensitivity to cold in the elderly. These physiological and psychological responses during winter bathing put the elderly at high risk of serious diseases such as a cerebral apoplexy and ischemic heart disease.