Effects of wearing two different forms of garment on thermoregulation in men resting at 10 degrees C.

We have compared the human thermoregulatory responses and clothing microclimate temperature when the body core-shell ratio was changed by wearing two different forms of garment. Each was worn for 160 min at an ambient temperature of 10 degrees C and a relative humidity of 50% by six healthy males in the supine posture. One garment covered the whole body area except for the face (long-sleeves: L-S), the other covered the central body area alone (half-sleeves: H-S). Major findings are summarized as follows: 1) Rectal temperature was kept higher by H-S than L-S even though L-S showed higher thermal resistance values. 2) The standard deviation of rectal temperature was smaller in H-S. 3) Trunk skin and clothing microclimate temperatures were also kept higher by H-S. We suggest that the reduced level of rectal temperature in L-S might be ascribed to a different pattern of venous return originating in the mechanisms of the counter-current heat exchange system: the venous return from the periphery into the thoracic and abdominal areas being cooler in L-S than in H-S.