I’ll tell you about one of the most incredible, from the point of view of everyday ideas, practices - the practice of free adaptation to the cold.
According to generally accepted beliefs, a person cannot be in the cold without warm clothing. The cold is absolutely destructive, and if by the will of fate you go outside without a jacket, the unfortunate person will face painful freezing and an inevitable bouquet of illnesses upon return.
In other words, generally accepted ideas completely deny a person the ability to adapt to cold. The comfort range is considered to be located exclusively above room temperature.
It seems like you can't argue with that. You can’t spend the whole winter in Russia wearing shorts and a T-shirt...
The fact of the matter is that it is possible!!
No, not by gritting my teeth and growing icicles to set a ridiculous record. And free. Feeling, on average, even more comfortable than those around me. This is real practical experience that shatteringly breaks generally accepted patterns.
It would seem, why own such practices? Yes, everything is very simple. New horizons always make life more interesting. By removing instilled fears, you become freer.
The range of comfort expands enormously. When everyone else is either hot or cold, you feel good everywhere. Phobias disappear completely. Instead of the fear of getting sick by not dressing warmly enough, you gain complete freedom and confidence in your abilities. It's really nice to run in the cold. If you go beyond the limits of your strength, then this does not entail any consequences.
How is this even possible? It's very simple. We are much better built than is commonly believed. And we have mechanisms that allow us to be free in the cold.
Firstly, when temperature fluctuates within certain limits, the metabolic rate, properties of the skin, etc. change. To avoid dissipating heat, the outer contour of the body greatly reduces the temperature, while the core temperature remains very stable. (Yes, cold paws are normal!! No matter how much we were told as children, this is not a sign of freezing!)
With even greater cold load, specific thermogenesis mechanisms are activated. We know about contractile thermogenesis, in other words, trembling. The mechanism is essentially an emergency one. Shivering warms you up, but it doesn’t come on because of a good life, but when you’re really cold.
But there is also non-contractile thermogenesis, which produces heat through the direct oxidation of nutrients in the mitochondria directly into heat. Among people practicing cold practices, this mechanism is simply called a “stove.” When the “stove” is turned on, heat is gradually produced in the background in an amount sufficient for a long stay in the cold without clothing.
Subjectively, this feels quite unusual. In Russian, the word “cold” refers to two fundamentally different sensations: “it’s cold on the street” and “it’s cold for you.” They can be present independently. You can freeze in a fairly warm room. Or you can feel the burning cold outside on your skin, but not freeze at all and not experience discomfort. Moreover, it's nice.
How can one learn to use these mechanisms? I will say emphatically that I consider “learning by article” risky. The technology needs to be handed over personally.
Non-contractile thermogenesis starts in fairly severe frost. And turning it on is quite inertial. The “stove” starts working no earlier than after a few minutes. Therefore, paradoxically, learning to walk freely in the cold is much easier in severe frost than on a cool autumn day.
As soon as you go out into the cold, you begin to feel the cold. At the same time, an inexperienced person is seized with panic horror. It seems to him that if it’s already cold now, then in ten minutes it will be a full paragraph. Many simply do not wait for the “reactor” to reach operating mode.
When the “stove” does start, it becomes clear that, contrary to expectations, it is quite comfortable to be in the cold. This experience is useful in that it immediately breaks the patterns instilled in childhood about the impossibility of such things, and helps to look differently at reality as a whole.
For the first time, you need to go out into the cold under the guidance of a person who already knows how to do this, or where you can return to the warmth at any time!
And you need to go out completely undressed. Shorts, better even without a T-shirt and nothing else. The body needs to be properly frightened so that it turns on forgotten adaptation systems. If you get scared and put on a sweater, trowel, or something similar, then the heat loss will be sufficient to freeze very much, but the “reactor” will not start!
For the same reason, gradual “hardening” is dangerous. A decrease in air or bath temperature “by one degree every ten days” leads to the fact that sooner or later a moment comes when it is already cold enough to get sick, but not enough to trigger thermogenesis. Truly, only iron men can withstand such hardening. But almost everyone can go straight out into the cold or dive into an ice hole.
After what has been said, you can already guess that adaptation not to frost, but to low positive temperatures is more difficult task than jogging in the cold, and it requires more training. The “stove” at +10 does not turn on at all, and only non-specific mechanisms work.
It should be remembered that severe discomfort cannot be tolerated. When everything works out correctly, no hypothermia develops. If you start to get very cold, then you need to stop the practice. Periodic going beyond the limits of comfort is inevitable (otherwise you won’t be able to push these limits), but extreme sports should not be allowed to escalate into fuck-up.
Over time, the heating system gets tired of working under load. The limits of endurance are quite far. But they exist. You can walk freely at -10 all day, and at -20 for a couple of hours. But you won’t be able to go skiing in just a T-shirt. ( Field conditions This is a completely separate topic. In winter, you can’t skimp on the clothes you take with you on a hike! You can put it in your backpack, but you can’t forget it at home. In snowless times, you can risk leaving extra things at home that you take only out of fear of the weather. But, if you have experience)
For greater comfort, it is better to walk in more or less clean air, away from sources of smoke and smog - sensitivity to what we breathe in this state increases significantly. It is clear that the practice is generally incompatible with smoking and booze.
Being in the cold can cause cold euphoria. The feeling is pleasant, but requires extreme self-control to avoid loss of adequacy. This is one of the reasons why it is very undesirable to start practicing without a teacher.
Another important nuance- long reboot of the heating system after significant loads. Having properly caught the cold, you can feel quite good, but when you enter a warm room, the “stove” turns off, and the body begins to warm up with trembling. If you go out into the cold again, the “stove” will not turn on, and you can freeze very much.
Finally, you need to understand that mastering the practice does not guarantee not to freeze anywhere and never. The condition varies and is influenced by many factors. But the likelihood of getting into trouble from the weather is still reduced. Just as the likelihood of being physically deflated is much lower for an athlete than for a wimp.
Unfortunately, it was not possible to create a complete article. I have only outlined this practice (more precisely, a set of practices, because diving into an ice hole, jogging in a T-shirt in the cold and wandering through the forest in the style of Mowgli are different). I'll sum it up with where I started. Possession own resources allows you to get rid of fears and feel much more comfortable. And this is interesting.
Dmitry Kulikov
Effect of cold
Although heat waves still lead the world in terms of premature deaths, the total number of deaths on an average winter day is still 15% higher than on a summer day.
Nevertheless, the influence of cold on humans is very diverse. Cold can be a direct cause of death in cases of hypothermia. It can also contribute to diseases that can sometimes lead to death, such as colds and pneumonia; In winter, the number of accidents on the roads, falls on ice, and poisoning increases carbon monoxide and fires.
Although logic tells us that colder climates have a greater risk of cold-related illness and death, this is not necessarily the case. I repeat that habit plays the main role here. One study compared winter mortality in 13 cities with different climates in different parts USA, found significantly higher mortality during unexpected cold weather in warmer regions in the south, while northern regions, where the population is accustomed to the cold, were less affected. For example, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, there was no increase in deaths even when temperatures dropped to -35°C. However, in Atlanta, Georgia, deaths spiked as temperatures dropped to around 0°C.
Adaptation - the ability to winter cold
We have the ability to quickly adapt to unexpected drops in temperature. The most critical time of illness and death appears to be during the first severe cold of the season. The longer the temperature remains low, the better we acclimatize. Military personnel, travelers and professional athletes, as well as many women, often assume modern concept about acclimatization, exposing yourself to extreme temperatures in order to strengthen your adaptation mechanisms before setting off on a journey. For example, there is evidence that a man who took baths with water at a temperature of 15°C for half an hour every day for 9 days before a trip to the Arctic experienced cold-induced stress more easily compared to unhardened men.
On the other hand, our ability to adapt to winter cold may be less effective if we keep our homes, schools, and offices too warm during the winter. Internal heating (plus good hygiene) leads to some fall in winter mortality from respiratory diseases, but this does not have a significant effect on mortality from coronary attacks. Heating buildings means that going out into the cold causes more stress and has a greater impact on the heart. In mid-winter, the difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures can at times reach 10-15°C. Under such circumstances, our adaptation mechanisms become less effective. The respiratory tract may react with spasms when suddenly inhaling cold, dry air, and our immune response may weaken, ultimately leading to illness.
Like any creature, the horse is able to adapt to the cold to some extent. Question: How harmless will such an adaptation be for the horse’s health? What temperature can be considered critical? Are we confident that all horses react to cold in the same way?
Even if we talk about a healthy horse, which is almost impossible after its participation in sports or riding of any kind, is it as good in the cold, in the rain and snow as horse users of all faiths, from athletes to naturists, believe?
Thanks to “sports” veterinarians, we have a huge amount of research on the effect of heat and overheating on a horse - this is understandable: runs, races... And too little serious work on the effect of cold on the body. Such studies can be counted on one hand.
Trotters have found out that at temperatures below -23 °C, trotters die on the tracks... From the cold air.
And when training in cold temperatures of -22 °C, they remain alive! From which it is concluded that at -22 °C it is necessary to go out on the track, but in a blanket...
For several years, the Finns have been studying in detail how Finnish horses freeze, measuring the thickness of subcutaneous fat and hair length - and finally found out that they freeze very much. Conclusion: you need to wear blankets.
That's probably all the research...
Of course, any attempts to study the issue of the effect of cold on the body will be incomplete until we know what the horse itself thinks about this.
In the meantime, we are not sure what the horse actually feels in winter, we are forced to be guided by strictly scientific data of anatomy and physiology and, of course, our own guesses and common sense. After all, our task is to make any weather of our not very gentle climate as comfortable as possible for horses.
A comfortable temperature for a horse is considered to be from +24 to +5°C (in the absence of other irritating factors, of course). With this temperature conditions the horse does not need to expend additional energy on heating, provided that it is healthy and in good condition and in decent conditions.
Obviously, in any case, at temperatures below -G the horse will need additional sources of heat, and often, given humidity, windiness, etc., such a need may arise even in the range of “comfortable” temperatures.
What is the body's physiological response to cold?
Immediate reaction. Occurs in response to a sudden sudden change air temperature. The horse becomes noticeably cold, its fur stands on end (piloerection), blood flows from the limbs to the internal organs - the legs, ears, and nose become cold. The horse stands with its tail between its legs, without moving in order to save energy.
Adaptation. This is the next reaction of a horse exposed to further constant exposure to cold. It usually takes 10 to 21 days for a horse to acclimate to the cold to some degree. For example, a horse kept at +20°C suddenly finds itself in conditions with a temperature of +5°C. It adapts to new environmental conditions in 21 days. If the temperature further decreases from +5 to -5°C, the horse will need up to 21 more days to adapt. And so on until the temperature reaches the lower critical level (LCL) of -15°C for an adult horse or 0°C for a growing one. Upon reaching a critical temperature, the horse’s body will begin to work in “emergency mode”, not to live, but to survive, which will lead to a serious and, sometimes, irreversible depletion of its resources.
As soon as NCO is achieved, stressful physiological changes begin, and the horse, in order to cope with the cold, needs human intervention: heating, additional nutrition.
It is clear that all data is conditional and differs for each specific horse. However, science currently does not have accurate data.
Physiological changes consist in “focusing” blood supply on internal organs, circulatory system begins to work as if in a “small circle”. There is a decrease in respiratory and heart rate to conserve heat, which results in the horse being inactive in winter. Most notable external sign physiological change is the growth of long, thick hair.
Fouling varies greatly in intensity from horse to horse under the same conditions. Breed, health, fatness, gender, type are of great importance. The more “thick-skinned” the horse, the heavier its type, the more overgrown it becomes. As N.D. Alekseev (1992) notes, Yakut horses have the thickest skin compared to horses of other breeds (4.4 + 0.05 mm in winter in the area of the last rib). Compare: in a European warmblood horse, the thickness of the skin in the same place is approximately 3-3.6 mm. There are exceptions related to individual metabolic characteristics. Temperament plays a role: active “thin-skinned” stallions of warm-blooded breeds develop little or no hair at all. For example, Kao lives in the same conditions as our other horses, but does not grow hair at all - he walks in winter in summer wool. Ponies, draft horses, and trotters, as a rule, become more overgrown, they have pronounced “brushes,” the hair growth from wrist to crown increases significantly, and a not very attractive, downright priestly beard appears. The same applies to sick and hungry horses - the body tries to compensate for the lack of a thermally insulating fat layer and lack of nutrition, spending its last reserves on hair growth, although here everything is strictly individual. By the length of a horse's coat you can always accurately judge its health, maintenance and care.
In general, fouling seems to be a common thing for everyone... But what does it cost a horse? I can’t say it better than my husband, so I give a direct quote: “The fouling process takes a significant part of the physiological forces. Just try to calculate how much it costs a horse’s body to raise, maintain, groom, etc. long wool. It wasn’t her husband who bought her a fur coat, she had to take a very large “amount” from her own biological and physiological wealth and spend it on wool, despite the fact that biological resource the horse's is not so big. Nature has established a certain “insulation standard” for a given zone (north, west, center of Russia). This standard can be easily calculated by analyzing the insulation standards of wild animals that fundamentally live in the natural environment of a given region, by counting and analyzing the length of the coat, the depth and density of the undercoat, and the body temperature (normal) of these animals. This is a normal “natural” program that meets the requirements of the climate and season. The person did not interfere with it.
By natural selection This thermal standard and insulation standard have been developed over tens of thousands of years. It is precisely this amount of protective fur, exactly this thickness and depth of the undercoat, exactly this body temperature, as presented by the wild natural inhabitants of the region, that is the norm, ensuring survival, and possibly some comfort.
The horse here is not suitable as a “trend setter”, being an introduced creature alien to this stripe - no matter in what generation. A kind of “lost exotic dog”.
But adaptive evolutionary changes require millennia!
All that a horse can “present” to the Russian cold is 2.5 - 3 cm of wool. No undercoat.
Having identified the discrepancy between the quality of horse insulation and local natural standards, we can speak with confidence about the physiological suffering of the horse, about the cold causing both physiological and functional harm to the horse. And this, and only this, will be strict scientific point vision. The argument, based on the analysis of what people “wear in a given band” for survival, is irrefutable and very serious. Even a two-hour winter walk under conditions of natural influence on the body climatic conditions The North-West, unfortunately, is either very uncomfortable for the horse or downright dangerous.”
- 2036I’ll tell you about one of the most incredible, from the point of view of everyday ideas, practices - the practice of free adaptation to the cold.
According to generally accepted beliefs, a person cannot be in the cold without warm clothing. The cold is absolutely destructive, and if by the will of fate you go outside without a jacket, the unfortunate person will face painful freezing and an inevitable bouquet of illnesses upon return.
In other words, generally accepted ideas completely deny a person the ability to adapt to cold. The comfort range is considered to be located exclusively above room temperature.
It seems like you can't argue with that. You can’t spend the whole winter in Russia wearing shorts and a T-shirt...
The fact of the matter is that it is possible!!
No, not by gritting my teeth and growing icicles to set a ridiculous record. And free. Feeling, on average, even more comfortable than those around me. This is real practical experience that shatteringly breaks generally accepted patterns.
It would seem, why own such practices? Yes, everything is very simple. New horizons always make life more interesting. By removing instilled fears, you become freer.
The range of comfort expands enormously. When everyone else is either hot or cold, you feel good everywhere. Phobias disappear completely. Instead of the fear of getting sick by not dressing warmly enough, you gain complete freedom and confidence in your abilities. It's really nice to run in the cold. If you go beyond the limits of your strength, then this does not entail any consequences.
How is this even possible? It's very simple. We are much better built than is commonly believed. And we have mechanisms that allow us to be free in the cold.
Firstly, when temperature fluctuates within certain limits, the metabolic rate, properties of the skin, etc. change. To avoid dissipating heat, the outer contour of the body greatly reduces the temperature, while the core temperature remains very stable. (Yes, cold paws are normal!! No matter how much we were told as children, this is not a sign of freezing!)
With even greater cold load, specific thermogenesis mechanisms are activated. We know about contractile thermogenesis, in other words, trembling. The mechanism is essentially an emergency one. Shivering warms you up, but it doesn’t come on because of a good life, but when you’re really cold.
But there is also non-contractile thermogenesis, which produces heat through the direct oxidation of nutrients in the mitochondria directly into heat. Among people practicing cold practices, this mechanism is simply called a “stove.” When the “stove” is turned on, heat is gradually produced in the background in an amount sufficient for a long stay in the cold without clothing.
Subjectively, this feels quite unusual. In Russian, the word “cold” refers to two fundamentally different sensations: “it’s cold on the street” and “it’s cold for you.” They can be present independently. You can freeze in a fairly warm room. Or you can feel the burning cold outside on your skin, but not freeze at all and not experience discomfort. Moreover, it's nice.
How can one learn to use these mechanisms? I will say emphatically that I consider “learning by article” risky. The technology needs to be handed over personally.
Non-contractile thermogenesis starts in fairly severe frost. And turning it on is quite inertial. The “stove” starts working no earlier than after a few minutes. Therefore, paradoxically, learning to walk freely in the cold is much easier in severe frost than on a cool autumn day.
As soon as you go out into the cold, you begin to feel the cold. At the same time, an inexperienced person is seized with panic horror. It seems to him that if it’s already cold now, then in ten minutes it will be a full paragraph. Many simply do not wait for the “reactor” to reach operating mode.
When the “stove” does start, it becomes clear that, contrary to expectations, it is quite comfortable to be in the cold. This experience is useful in that it immediately breaks the patterns instilled in childhood about the impossibility of such things, and helps to look differently at reality as a whole.
For the first time, you need to go out into the cold under the guidance of a person who already knows how to do this, or where you can return to the warmth at any time!
And you need to go out completely undressed. Shorts, better even without a T-shirt and nothing else. The body needs to be properly frightened so that it turns on forgotten adaptation systems. If you get scared and put on a sweater, trowel, or something similar, then the heat loss will be sufficient to freeze very much, but the “reactor” will not start!
For the same reason, gradual “hardening” is dangerous. A decrease in air or bath temperature “by one degree every ten days” leads to the fact that sooner or later a moment comes when it is already cold enough to get sick, but not enough to trigger thermogenesis. Truly, only iron men can withstand such hardening. But almost everyone can go straight out into the cold or dive into an ice hole.
After what has been said, you can already guess that adaptation not to frost, but to low above-zero temperatures is a more difficult task than jogging in the cold, and it requires higher preparation. The “stove” at +10 does not turn on at all, and only non-specific mechanisms work.
It should be remembered that severe discomfort cannot be tolerated. When everything works out correctly, no hypothermia develops. If you start to get very cold, then you need to stop the practice. Periodic going beyond the limits of comfort is inevitable (otherwise you won’t be able to push these limits), but extreme sports should not be allowed to escalate into fuck-up.
Over time, the heating system gets tired of working under load. The limits of endurance are quite far. But they exist. You can walk freely at -10 all day, and at -20 for a couple of hours. But you won’t be able to go skiing in just a T-shirt. (Field conditions are a completely separate issue. In winter, you can’t skimp on the clothes you take with you on a hike! You can put them in a backpack, but you can’t forget them at home. In snowless times, you can risk leaving extra things at home that you take only out of fear of weather. But, with experience)
For greater comfort, it is better to walk in more or less clean air, away from sources of smoke and smog - sensitivity to what we breathe in this state increases significantly. It is clear that the practice is generally incompatible with smoking and booze.
Being in the cold can cause cold euphoria. The feeling is pleasant, but requires extreme self-control to avoid loss of adequacy. This is one of the reasons why it is very undesirable to start practicing without a teacher.
Another important nuance is the long reboot of the heating system after significant loads. Having properly caught the cold, you can feel quite good, but when you enter a warm room, the “stove” turns off, and the body begins to warm up with trembling. If you go out into the cold again, the “stove” will not turn on, and you can freeze very much.
Finally, you need to understand that mastering the practice does not guarantee not to freeze anywhere and never. The condition varies and is influenced by many factors. But the likelihood of getting into trouble from the weather is still reduced. Just as the likelihood of being physically deflated is much lower for an athlete than for a wimp.
Unfortunately, it was not possible to create a complete article. I have only outlined this practice (more precisely, a set of practices, because diving into an ice hole, jogging in a T-shirt in the cold and wandering through the forest in the style of Mowgli are different). I'll sum it up with where I started. Owning your own resources allows you to get rid of fears and feel much more comfortable. And this is interesting.
Lecture 38. PHYSIOLOGY OF ADAPTATION(A.A. Gribanov)
The word adaptation comes from the Latin adaptacio - adaptation. The entire life of a person, both healthy and sick, is accompanied by adaptation. Adaptation takes place to the change of day and night, seasons, changes in atmospheric pressure, physical activity, long flights, new conditions when changing place of residence..
In 1975, at a symposium in Moscow, the following formulation was adopted: physiological adaptation is the process of achieving stability in the level of activity of control mechanisms of functional systems, organs and tissues, which ensures the possibility of long-term active functioning of the animal and human body in altered conditions of existence and the ability to reproduce healthy offspring .
The entire sum of various effects on the human and animal body is usually divided into two categories. Extreme factors are incompatible with life, adaptation to them is impossible. In conditions of extreme factors, life is possible only if there are special means of life support. For example, flight into space is possible only in special spacecraft that maintain the required pressure, temperature, etc. Man cannot adapt to the conditions of space. Subextreme factors - life under the influence of these factors is possible due to the restructuring of the physiologically adaptive mechanisms that the body itself has. With excessive strength and duration of action of the stimulus, a subextreme factor can turn into an extreme one.
The process of adaptation at all times of human existence plays a decisive role in the preservation of humanity and the development of civilization. Adaptation to lack of food and water, cold and heat, physical and intellectual stress, social adaptation to each other and, finally, adaptation to hopeless stressful situations, which runs like a red thread through the life of every person.
Exists genotypic adaptation results when, on the basis of heredity, mutations and natural selection, the formation of modern species of animals and plants occurs. Genotypic adaptation has become the basis of evolution because its achievements are fixed genetically and are inherited.
The complex of species-specific hereditary characteristics - the genotype - becomes the point of the next stage of adaptation acquired in the process of individual life. This individual or phenotypic adaptation is formed in the process of interaction of an individual with the environment and is ensured by deep structural changes in the body.
Phenotypic adaptation can be defined as a process that develops during an individual’s life, as a result of which the organism acquires previously absent resistance to a certain factor external environment and thus gets the opportunity to live in conditions previously incompatible with life and solve problems previously insoluble.
At the first meeting with a new environmental factor, the body does not have a ready-made, fully formed mechanism that ensures modern adaptation. There are only genetically determined prerequisites for the formation of such a mechanism. If the factor does not act, the mechanism remains unformed. In other words, the genetic program of an organism does not provide for a pre-formed adaptation, but the possibility of its implementation under the influence of the environment. This ensures the implementation of only those adaptive reactions that are vitally necessary. In accordance with this, the fact that the results of phenotypic adaptation are not inherited should be considered beneficial for the conservation of the species.
In a rapidly changing environment, the next generation of each species runs the risk of encountering completely new conditions, which will require not the specialized reactions of their ancestors, but the potential, remaining, for the time being, untapped opportunity to adapt to wide range factors.
Urgent adaptation The body's immediate response to the action of an external factor is carried out by avoiding the factor (avoidance) or by mobilizing functions that allow it to exist despite the action of the factor.
Long-term adaptation- the gradually developing response of the factor ensures the implementation of reactions that were previously impossible and existence in conditions that were previously incompatible with life.
The development of adaptation occurs through a number of phases.
1.Initial phase adaptation - develops at the very beginning of the action of both physiological and pathogenic factors. First of all, under the influence of any factor, an indicative reflex arises, which is accompanied by inhibition of many types of activities that manifest themselves up to this moment. After inhibition, an excitation reaction is observed. Excitation of the central nervous system is accompanied by increased function of the endocrine system, especially the adrenal medulla. At the same time, the functions of blood circulation, respiration, and catabolic reactions are enhanced. However, all processes occur in this phase uncoordinated, insufficiently synchronized, uneconomical and are characterized by urgent reactions. The stronger the factors acting on the body, the more pronounced this adaptation phase is. Characteristic of the initial phase is the emotional component, and the strength of the emotional component determines the “triggering” of autonomic mechanisms that are ahead of somatic ones.
2.Phase - transition from initial to sustainable adaptation. It is characterized by a decrease in the excitability of the central nervous system, a decrease in the intensity of hormonal changes, and the shutdown of a number of organs and systems initially included in the reaction. During this phase, the body's adaptive mechanisms seem to gradually switch to a deeper, tissue level. This phase and the processes accompanying it are relatively little studied.
3. Sustained adaptation phase. It is actually an adaptation - an adaptation and is characterized by a new level of activity of tissue, membrane, cellular elements, organs and systems of the body, rebuilt under the cover of auxiliary systems. These shifts provide a new level of homeostasis, an adequate organism to other unfavorable factors - the so-called cross-adaptation develops. Switching the body’s reactivity to a new level of functioning is not given to the body “for free”, but occurs with tension in the control and other systems. This tension is usually called the cost of adaptation. Any activity of an adapted organism costs it much more than under normal conditions. For example, physical activity in mountainous conditions requires 25% more energy.
Since the phase of stable adaptation is associated with constant tension of physiological mechanisms, functional reserves in many cases can be depleted, the most depleted link being hormonal mechanisms.
Due to the depletion of physiological reserves and disruption of the interaction of neurohormonal and metabolic mechanisms of adaptation, a condition arises, which is called maladjustment. The disadaptation phase is characterized by the same shifts that are observed in the initial adaptation phase - again, auxiliary systems - breathing and blood circulation - come into a state of increased activity, energy in the body is wasted uneconomically. Most often, maladaptation occurs in cases where functional activity in new conditions is excessive or the effect of adaptogenic factors increases and their strength approaches extreme ones.
If the factor that caused the adaptation process ceases, the body gradually begins to lose the acquired adaptations. With repeated exposure to a subextreme factor, the body's ability to adapt can be increased and adaptive shifts can be more perfect. Thus, we can say that adaptation mechanisms have the ability to train and therefore the intermittent action of adaptogenic factors is more favorable and determines the most stable adaptation.
The key link in the mechanism of phenotypic adaptation is the relationship between function and the genotypic apparatus that exists in cells. Through this relationship, the functional load caused by the action of environmental factors, as well as the direct influence of hormones and mediators, lead to an increase in the synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins and, as a consequence, to the formation of a structural trace in the systems specifically responsible for the adaptation of the body to this particular environmental factor. In this case, the mass of membrane structures responsible for the cell’s perception of control signals, ion transport, energy supply, i.e., increases to the greatest extent. precisely those structures that imitate the function of the cell as a whole. The resulting systemic trace is a complex of structural changes that ensure the expansion of the link that imitates the function of cells and thereby increases the physiological power of the dominant functional system responsible for adaptation.
After the cessation of the effect of this environmental factor on the body, the activity of the genetic apparatus in the cells responsible for the adaptation of the system decreases quite sharply and the systemic structural trace disappears.
Stress.
When exposed to extreme or pathological stimuli leading to tension in the adaptation mechanisms, a condition called stress occurs.
The term stress was introduced into medical literature in 1936 by Hans Selye, who defined stress as a state of the body that occurs when any demands are placed on it. Various stimuli give stress their own characteristics due to the emergence of specific reactions to qualitatively different influences.
There are successively developing stages in the development of stress.
1. Reaction of anxiety, mobilization. This is an emergency phase, which is characterized by disruption of homeostasis and increased processes of tissue breakdown (catabolism). This is evidenced by a decrease in total weight, a reduction in fat depots, and a decrease in certain organs and tissues (muscle, thymus, etc.). Such a generalized mobile adaptive reaction is not economical, but only emergency.
The products of tissue breakdown apparently become building materials for the synthesis of new substances necessary for the formation of general nonspecific resistance to a damaging agent.
2.Resistance stage. It is characterized by the restoration and strengthening of anabolic processes aimed at the formation of organic substances. An increase in the level of resistance is observed not only to this irritant, but also to any other. This phenomenon, as already indicated, is called
cross resistance.
3.Exhaustion stage with a sharp increase in tissue breakdown. With excessively strong impacts, the first emergency stage can immediately go into the stage of exhaustion.
Later works by Selye (1979) and his followers established that the mechanism for implementing the stress reaction is triggered in the hypothalamus under the influence of nerve impulses coming from the cerebral cortex, reticular formation, and limbic system. The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal cortex system is activated and the sympathetic nervous system is excited. The greatest participants in the implementation of stress are corticoliberin, ACTH, HST, corticosteroids, and adrenaline.
Hormones, as is known, play a leading role in the regulation of enzyme activity. This is important under stress conditions when there is a need to change the quality of an enzyme or increase its quantity, i.e. in adaptive changes in metabolism. It has been established, for example, that corticosteroids can influence all stages of the synthesis and breakdown of enzymes, thereby providing “tuning” of the body’s metabolic processes.
The main direction of action of these hormones is the urgent mobilization of the body’s energy and functional reserves, and there is a directed transfer of the body’s energy and structural reserves to the dominant functional system responsible for adaptation, where a systemic structural trace is formed. At the same time, the stress reaction, on the one hand, potentiates the formation of a new systemic structural trace and the formation of adaptation, and on the other, due to its catabolic effect, it contributes to the “erasure” of old structural traces that have lost their biological significance - therefore, this reaction is a necessary link in the integral mechanism adaptation of the organism in a changing environment (reprograms the adaptive capabilities of the organism to solve new problems).
Biological rhythms.
Fluctuations in the change and intensity of processes and physiological reactions, which are based on changes in the metabolism of biological systems due to the influence of external and internal factors. External factors include changes in illumination, temperature, magnetic field, intensity of cosmic radiation, seasonal and solar-lunar influences. Internal factors are neuro-humoral processes that occur in a certain, hereditarily fixed rhythm and pace. The frequency of biorhythms ranges from a few seconds to several years.
Biological rhythms caused by internal factors of changes in activity with a period of 20 to 28 hours are called circadian or circadian. If the period of rhythms coincides with the periods of geophysical cycles, and is also close or multiple to them, they are called adaptive or ecological. These include diurnal, tidal, lunar and seasonal rhythms. If the period of the rhythms does not coincide with periodic changes in geophysical factors, they are designated as functional (for example, the rhythm of heart contractions, breathing, cycles of motor activity - walking).
Based on the degree of dependence on external periodic processes, exogenous (acquired) rhythms and endogenous (habitual) rhythms are distinguished.
Exogenous rhythms are caused by changes in environmental factors and can disappear under certain conditions (for example, suspended animation when the external temperature decreases). Acquired rhythms arise in the process individual development according to the type of conditioned reflex and persists for a certain time under constant conditions (for example, changes in muscle performance at certain hours of the day).
Endogenous rhythms are innate, preserved under constant environmental conditions and are inherited (these include most functional and circadian rhythms).
The human body is characterized by an increase in the daytime and a decrease in the night hours of physiological functions that ensure its physiological activity of heart rate, minute blood volume, blood pressure, body temperature, oxygen consumption, blood sugar, physical and mental performance, etc.
Under the influence of factors that change with daily frequency, external coordination of circadian rhythms occurs. The primary synchronizer in animals and plants is, as a rule, sunlight; in humans it is also social factors.
The dynamics of circadian rhythms in humans are determined not only by innate mechanisms, but also by the daily pattern of activity developed during life. According to most researchers, the regulation of physiological rhythms in higher animals and humans is carried out mainly by the hypothalamic-pituitary system.
Adaptation to long flight conditions
In conditions of long flights and trips when crossing many time zones, the human body is forced to adapt to the new cycle of day and night. The body receives information about the intersection of time zones due to influences also associated with changes in the influence of both the magnetic and electric fields of the Earth.
Disorder in the system of interaction of biorhythms characterizing the course of various physiological processes in the organs and systems of the body is called desynchronosis. With desynchronosis, complaints of poor sleep, decreased appetite, irritability are typical, there is a decrease in performance and phase mismatch with time sensors of contraction frequency, respiration, blood pressure, body temperature and other functions, the reactivity of the body changes. This condition has a significant adverse effect on the adaptation process.
The leading role in the process of adaptation in the conditions of the formation of new biorhythms is the function of the central nervous system. At the subcellular level in the central nervous system, destruction of mitochondria and other structures is noted.
At the same time, regeneration processes develop in the central nervous system, which ensure restoration of function and structure by 12-15 days after the flight. The restructuring of the function of the central nervous system when adapting to changes in the daily period is accompanied by a restructuring of the functions of the endocrine glands (pituitary gland, adrenal glands, thyroid gland). This leads to changes in the dynamics of body temperature, the intensity of metabolism and energy, and the activity of systems, organs and tissues. The dynamics of the restructuring are such that if in the initial stage of adaptation these indicators are reduced during the daytime hours, then upon reaching a stable phase they move in accordance with the rhythm of day and night. In space conditions, habitual biorhythms are also disrupted and new biorhythms are formed. Various functions of the body are rebuilt to a new rhythm in different terms: dynamics of higher cortical functions for 1-2 days, heart rate and body temperature for 5-7 days, mental performance for 3-10 days. The new or partially changed rhythm remains fragile and can be destroyed quite quickly.
Adaptation to low temperature.
The conditions under which the body must adapt to cold may vary. One of the possible options for such conditions is working in cold shops or refrigerators. In this case, the cold acts intermittently. In connection with the accelerated pace of development of the Far North, the issue of adapting the human body to life in northern latitudes, where it is exposed not only to low temperatures, but also to changes in light conditions and radiation levels, is currently becoming relevant.
Cold adaptation is accompanied by major changes in the body. First of all, the cardiovascular system reacts to a decrease in ambient temperature by restructuring its activity: systolic output and heart rate increase. A spasm of peripheral vessels is observed, as a result of which the skin temperature decreases. This leads to a decrease in heat transfer. As adaptation to the cold factor changes in skin blood circulation become less pronounced, therefore, in acclimatized people, the skin temperature is 2-3" higher than in non-acclimatized people. In addition,
they observe a decrease in the temperature analyzer.
Reducing heat transfer during cold exposure is achieved by reducing moisture loss through breathing. Changes in vital capacity and diffusion capacity of the lungs are accompanied by an increase in the number of red blood cells and hemoglobin in the blood, i.e. an increase in oxygen capacity - everything is mobilized to sufficiently supply the body's tissues with oxygen in conditions of increased metabolic activity.
Since, along with a decrease in heat loss, oxidative metabolism increases - the so-called chemical thermoregulation, in the first days of stay in the North, the basal metabolism increases, according to some authors, by 43% (subsequently, as adaptation is achieved, the basal metabolism decreases almost to normal).
It has been established that cooling causes a tension reaction - stress. The hormones of the pituitary gland (ACTH, TSH) and adrenal glands are primarily involved in its implementation. Catecholamines have a calorigenic effect due to the catabolic effect, glucocorticoids promote the synthesis of oxidative enzymes, thereby increasing heat production. Thyroxine ensures an increase in heat production, and also potentiates the calorigenic effect of norepinephrine and adrenaline, activates the system of mitochondria - the main energy stations of the cell, and uncouples oxidation and phosphorylation.
Stable adaptation is achieved due to the restructuring of RNA metabolism in neurons and neuroglia of the hypothalamic nuclei; lipid metabolism is intensified, which is beneficial for the body to intensify energy processes. People living in the North have increased levels of fatty acids in the blood, and glucose levels are slightly
decreases.
The formation of adaptation in northern latitudes is often associated with certain symptoms: shortness of breath, fatigue, hypoxic phenomena, etc. These symptoms are a manifestation of the so-called “polar tension syndrome.”
In some people in the North, defense mechanisms and adaptive restructuring of the body can lead to disruption - disadaptation. In this case, a number of pathological symptoms called polar disease appear.
Human adaptation to the conditions of civilization
The factors that cause adaptation are largely common to animals and humans. However, the process of adaptation of animals is, in essence, mainly physiological in nature, while for humans the process of adaptation is closely connected, moreover, with the social aspects of his life and his personality traits.
A person has at his disposal a variety of protective (protective) means that civilization gives him - clothing, houses with an artificial climate, etc., which free the body from the load on some adaptive systems. On the other hand, under the influence of protective technical and other measures in the human body, physical inactivity occurs in the activity of various systems and the person loses fitness and trainability. Adaptive mechanisms are detrained and become inactive - as a result, there is a decrease in the body's resistance.
Increasing overload with various types of information, production processes that require increased mental stress, are characteristic of people employed in any sector of the national economy. Factors that cause mental stress come to the fore among the numerous conditions that require adaptation of the human body. Along with factors that require the activation of physiological mechanisms of adaptation, purely social factors operate - relationships in a team, subordinate relationships, etc.
Emotions accompany a person when changing place and living conditions, during physical exertion and overexertion, and, conversely, when forced restriction of movements.
The reaction to emotional stress is nonspecific; it was developed during evolution and at the same time serves as an important link that “launches” the entire neurohumoral system of adaptation mechanisms. Adaptation to the effects of psychogenic factors proceeds differently in individuals with different types of GNI. In extreme types (cholerics and melancholics), such adaptation is often unstable; sooner or later, factors affecting the psyche can lead to a breakdown in the IRR and the development of neuroses.
Adaptation to information deficiency
Partial loss of information, for example, turning off one of the analyzers or artificially depriving a person of one of the types of external information leads to adaptive shifts of the type of compensation. Thus, in the blind, tactile and auditory sensitivity is activated.
Relatively complete isolation of a person from any irritation leads to disruption of sleep patterns, the appearance of visual and auditory hallucinations and other mental disorders that can become irreversible. Adaptation to complete deprivation of information is impossible.
