How does the mask affect sports performance?

MADRID, 15 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) -

Several studies have analyzed the impact of surgical mask use on cardiovascular and subjective responses to exercise. However, these masks are not in widespread use, and few studies have looked at the impact of cloth masks.

Results of a small clinical trial, published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, reveal that wearing a cloth face covering reduces performance and physical capacity during exercise, especially highest intensity.

Users also reported increased shortness of breath and claustrophobia at higher exercise intensities, leading the researchers to suggest changing the frequency, intensity, duration, and type of exercise performed when wearing a cloth mask.

Recommendations for the use of face masks during exercise vary around the world, the researchers say, and the physiological impact of wearing cloth face coverings during exercise is poorly understood.

In an attempt to fill this knowledge gap, the researchers compared the exercise performance of 31 healthy adults, ages 18 to 29, while running on a treadmill to exhaustion, once while wearing a cloth mask. and another without her.

Blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, exertion, and breathlessness were measured and recorded after a 3-minute warm-up, during the exercise test, and 7 minutes after completion (period of recovery).

They were asked to rate their experiences of wearing a face mask, including comfort, temperature, and breathability, immediately after completing the masked test.

Participants typically engaged in an average of 170 minutes/week of moderate physical activity and 206 minutes/week of vigorous physical activity. None smoked cigarettes, although three said they smoked marijuana and five participants indicated a history of medically controlled asthma.

Three in four said they had worn a face mask while exercising before participating in the study, and 19 (61%) said their exercise center required it.

Analysis of the recorded data showed that, compared to not wearing a cloth face mask, wearing a cloth face mask led to a significant reduction in exercise time (14%) and physiological measures of capacity, including maximal oxygen consumption (29% reduction) and maximal heart rate, as well as increased shortness of breath.

These changes reflected the intensity of the exercise and were attributed to the perceived discomfort associated with wearing the mask. They resolved after the 7-minute recovery period, when the results of the two tests were no longer different.

Compared to not wearing a cloth face mask, participants reported becoming increasingly short of breath and claustrophobic at higher exercise intensities while wearing one. Most of the participants (30) agreed or strongly agreed that it was more difficult to give maximum effort during the test while wearing a mask.

Responses included: "harder than last time", "I fatigued faster; it didn't affect me during the walking phase, it affected me during the jog", especially at higher intensity "running was harder than usual , breathing became more difficult as speed/incline increased", "felt short of breath, felt like I couldn't take a deep breath" and "had to take a deeper breath to get the same amount of air".

Participants also mentioned feeling "claustrophobic," "stuffy," and "anxious" while wearing the mask and breathing "shorter and shallower with their faces covered." None indicated that moisture or the weight of the mask inhibited their performance or forced them to stop the stress test.

"As our results do not fully explain how mask use might directly limit cardiovascular function, we conclude that mask-associated discomfort, as evidenced by higher dyspnea scores in the mask condition and qualitative feedback from participants, led directly to reduced performance," the researchers suggest.

"Our results have several implications for training and performance while wearing a cloth face mask," they add. "First, because wearing a cloth mask reduced exercise performance, the peak of VO2 and related variables, training variables of frequency, intensity, time, and type of activity should be modified accordingly."

"Second," he continues, "exercise goals can be modified to reflect the reduced performance and psychological impact of wearing a cloth mask, while promoting safe achievement of the goals."