Effects of hypoxia on selected psychophysiological stress responses of military aircrew

Abstract

There is a lack of information on the psychophysiological response of pilots under hypoxic conditions. The study of the physiological, psychological, cardiorespiratory, neurological, behavioural, sensory, and cognitive symptoms that may appear during training in hypobaric chambers is essential to optimize the training processes of aircrew members. Thus, the present study is aimed at analyzing the psychophysiological responses of aircrew members in an incremental hypoxia training protocol. Psychophysiological responses of 44 aircrew members (34 males and 10 females) in an incremental hypoxia training protocol (3 minutes at 0 meters, 8 minutes at 5,000 meters, and maximum time at 7500 meters) were measured. Results suggested that the incremental hypoxia training protocol did not affect cortical arousal and handgrip strength; however, it increased the sympathetic tone, perceived stress, perceived effort, and heart rate and decreased forced expiratory volume and blood oxygen saturation. Thus, we concluded that acute hypoxic hypobaric exposure leads to decreased parasympathetic tone, blood oxygen saturation, and maximal spirometry values, without negatively affecting handgrip strength and cortical arousal. This information will lead to find specific training systems that meet the real needs of aircrew.