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WEDNESDAY April 14, 2021 (HealthDay News) – A sheet mask can limit your ability to exercise, so it may be a good idea to modify your workouts while wearing one, researchers say.
Some previous studies have evaluated the impact of surgical masks on exercise, but few have looked at fabric masks.
In a new study, researchers compared the physical performance of 31 healthy adults (aged 18 to 29) who ran on a treadmill to exhaustion.
Study participants did this twice, once wearing a cloth face mask and once unmasked.
Participants typically averaged 170 minutes per week of moderate physical activity and 206 minutes per week of vigorous physical activity.
During the study, their blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, exertion, and shortness of breath were measured, and they were asked how comfortable it was to wear a sheet mask during exercise. .
Compared to exercise without a mask, wearing a mask resulted in a 14% decrease in exercise time, a 29% decrease in peak oxygen uptake, and a reduction in maximum heart rate. showed the results.
While wearing the cloth mask, participants also reported feeling increasingly short of breath and claustrophobic at higher exercise intensities.
Thirty of the 31 agreed or strongly agreed that it was harder to put in maximum effort with a mask, according to the report published online April 13 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The study was led by Simon Driver, principal investigator for athletic therapy and research at the Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation, in Frisco, TX.
“Our results have several implications for training and performance while wearing a cloth face mask,” the researchers noted in a press release.
First, the intensity, duration and type of activity should be changed when masked, they advised.
“Second, exercise goals can be changed to reflect the reduced performance and psychological impact of wearing a sheet mask while promoting safe goal achievement,” the authors added. study.
More information
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers a guide to masks.
SOURCE: British Journal of Sports Medicine, press release, April 13, 2021
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