Hypoxia Differentially Affects Healthy Men and Women During a Daytime Nap With a Dose-Response Relationship: a Randomized, Cross-Over Pilot Study

Riveros-Rivera, Alain; Penzel, Thomas; Gunga, Hanns‐Christian; Opatz, Oliver; Paul, Friedemann; Klug, Lars; Boschmann, Michael; Mähler, Anja

doi:10.3389/fphys.2022.899636

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 84 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Several studies have shown that physical activity, especially in outdoor environments, might exert a positive effect on physical and mental health. Regular exercise enhances general physical well-being, and mood, and reduces anxiety, whereas reduced physical activity is affiliated with chronic disease, according to a study 86…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Altitude Neurology

Angelini

2024

JIH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Altitude Neurology

Angelini

2024

JIH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Women at Altitude: Sex-Related Physiological Responses to Exercise in Hypoxia

Raberin,

Burtscher,

Citherlet

et al. 2023

Sports Med

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sex differences in physiological responses to various stressors, including exercise, have been well documented. However, the specific impact of these differences on exposure to hypoxia, both at rest and during exercise, has remained underexplored. Many studies on the physiological responses to hypoxia have either excluded women or included only a limited number without analyzing sex-related differences. To address this gap, this comprehensive review conducted an extensive literature search to examine changes in physiological functions related to oxygen transport and consumption in hypoxic conditions. The review encompasses various aspects, including ventilatory responses, cardiovascular adjustments, hematological alterations, muscle metabolism shifts, and autonomic function modifications. Furthermore, it delves into the influence of sex hormones, which evolve throughout life, encompassing considerations related to the menstrual cycle and menopause. Among these physiological functions, the ventilatory response to exercise emerges as one of the most sex-sensitive factors that may modify reactions to hypoxia. While no significant sex-based differences were observed in cardiac hemodynamic changes during hypoxia, there is evidence of greater vascular reactivity in women, particularly at rest or when combined with exercise. Consequently, a diffusive mechanism appears to be implicated in sex-related variations in responses to hypoxia. Despite well-established sex disparities in hematological parameters, both acute and chronic hematological responses to hypoxia do not seem to differ significantly between sexes. However, it is important to note that these responses are sensitive to fluctuations in sex hormones, and further investigation is needed to elucidate the impact of the menstrual cycle and menopause on physiological responses to hypoxia.

show abstract

Women’s mood at high altitude. sexual dimorphism in hypoxic stress modulation by the tryptophan–melatonin axis

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sexual (and gender)-dimorphism in tolerance to hypobaric hypoxia increasingly matters for a differential surveillance of human activities at high altitude (HA). At low altitudes, the prevalence of anxiety and depression in women has already been found to double when compared with men; it could be expected to even increase on exposure to HA. In purposefully caring for the health of women at HA, the present work explores the potential involvement of the tryptophan (Trp)–melatonin axis in mood changes on exposure to hypobaric hypoxia. The present work highlights some already known anxiogenic effects of HA exposure. Hypoxia and insomnia reduce serotonin (5-HT) availability; the latter defect being expressed as failure of brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation and mood disorders. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep organization and synapsis restoration that are additionally affected by hypoxia impair memory consolidation. Affective complaints may thus surge, evolving into anxiety and depression. Sex-related differences in neural network organization and hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, and certainly also during the life cycle, underscore the possibility of 5-HT–related mood alterations, particularly in women on HA exposure. The mean brain rate of 5-HT synthesis at sea level is already 1.5-fold higher in males than in females. sexual dimorphism also evidences the overexpression effects of SERT, a 5-HT transporter protein. Gonadal and thyroid hormones, as influenced by HA exposure, further modulate 5-HT availability and its effects in women. Besides caring for adequate oxygenation and maintenance of one’s body core temperature, special precautions concerning women sojourning at HA should include close observations of hormonal cycles and, perhaps, also trials with targeted antidepressants.

show abstract

Hypoxia Differentially Affects Healthy Men and Women During a Daytime Nap With a Dose-Response Relationship: a Randomized, Cross-Over Pilot Study

Cited by 4 publications

References 84 publications

High Altitude Neurology

High Altitude Neurology

Women at Altitude: Sex-Related Physiological Responses to Exercise in Hypoxia

Women’s mood at high altitude. sexual dimorphism in hypoxic stress modulation by the tryptophan–melatonin axis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About