Effect of Exercise and Heat-Load on Simple Reaction Time of University Students

Visual and auditory simple reaction times for both right and left hands of young university male students were recorded with a simple reaction timer, before and after an exercise schedule without and with elevated temperatures in a climatic chamber. The results indicated a decrease in both visual and auditory reaction times after the exercise, but a marked increase in them was noticed when exercise was performed at elevated temperatures. The difference in reaction times in preferred and nonpreferred hands was negligible at rest, i.e., without any exercise and elevated temperature. However, the difference was significant when exercise was performed at elevated temperatures. Visual reaction time was longer than auditory reaction time in all conditions. The results suggest that in hot industries, increased temperature has a specific rather than general effect on cognitive processes, perception and attentiveness, leading to increased chances of human errors, fatal accidents and loss of productivity.