Subjective Cold Perception

The beneficial effects of the whole-body cryostimulation (WBC) exposure are based on an external cold stimulus. The cold perception is then very important to induce the desired beneficial effect of the WBC. It is a tactile perception composed of two factors: (1) an objective afferent signal from the skin to the central nervous system, more precisely to the hypothalamus, and (2) the interpretation of this signal. The objective afferent signal comes from the skin (thermoreceptor) and the information is transmitted to the brain (hypothalamus). Today it is difficult to know if the intensity of the cold adaptation response triggered by the hypothalamus is linked to the objective afferent signal from the thermoreceptors or to our perceptual interpretation of this signal. The perceptual interpretation of the signal depends on the initial skin temperature, the speed of temperature change and the size, the stimulated surface, the gender, the age, the ethnic origin, and so on. Several studies assessed cold perception, especially thermal sensation and thermal comfort, during a WBC exposure. Generally, studies showed that people who practiced WBC did not suffer too much from the exposure. Even if some authors demonstrated a greater skin temperature variation after WBC exposure in females than in males, only one study found a difference in thermal sensation between both. To our knowledge, no study assessed the difference in thermal sensation and comfort in function of the morphological characteristics of the participants.