Applied research for workers in the professional field aims to better understand the interactions between working conditions and the body’s physiological responses. Measuring, analyzing, and understanding how the subject body reacts to stress factors (heat, cold, humidity, physical exertion, psychological stress, etc.) is essential for developing appropriate countermeasure strategies that ensure both safety and efficiency for workers. In this context, collecting core body temperature data is often crucial to objectively assessing the impact of work conditions on temperature fluctuations.
The eCelsius Performance system is simple to use and can be deployed in real-world conditions. It provides reliable, precise, and continuous core body temperature data collection without constraints for researchers or subjects. Once the electronic capsule is ingested, the subject retains full mobility and operational capability. The core body temperature data is transmitted in real time or stored for later scientific analysis.
Thermoregulation in professional environments
The body continuously activates various thermoregulation mechanisms to maintain core body temperature within a target range.
For professionals working in extreme environmental conditions, these mechanisms are pushed to their limits. Just like elite athletes, excessive increases or decreases in core temperature can negatively impact:
- Physical performance (strength, motor coordination, precision, etc.)
- Cognitive performance (decision-making speed, judgment, fatigue perception, etc.)
This, in turn, affects both productivity and safety.
By accurately assessing and understanding the interactions between work conditions and core body temperature fluctuations, it becomes possible to optimize worker productivity through effective countermeasures, such as:
- Work/rest cycle planning,
- Acclimatization programs,
- Appropriate technical clothing,
- Hydration and cooling strategies.
Shift work and circadian rhythms
Core body temperature makes it possible to monitor circadian rhythms, making it easier to study sleep disorders and ways of boosting recovery and productivity in workers.
Daily core body temperature fluctuations are considered an individual marker of circadian rhythm; the 24-hour biological cycles that regulate sleep-wake patterns and most bodily functions. The circadian clock controls melatonin secretion in the evening, triggering a drop in core temperature to promote sleep. Over a 24-hour cycle:
- Core body temperature is at its lowest in the early morning,
- It gradually rises throughout the day,
- It peaks in the late afternoon,- Cognitive performance is highest in mid-morning,
- Physical performance is optimal in the late afternoon.
Continuous core body temperature data collection allows for an in-depth analysis of these fluctuations and helps characterize circadian rhythm patterns.
By leveraging this data, researchers can:
- Better understand sleep and circadian rhythm disorders in shift workers;
- Evaluate the effectiveness of countermeasures to improve recovery, reduce fatigue and enhance worker productivity.
Testing the effectiveness of new equipment
Accurate monitoring of core body temperature is essential for developing protective equipment that protects workers from environmental stress while encouraging natural thermoregulation.
In many professional fields, significant development efforts are made to design new materials and technologies that enable the creation of high-quality protective clothing and equipment. The primary goal of these garments and tools is to offer the best possible protection for workers against the constraints of their working environment.
When exposed to challenging conditions, particularly heat, this protective gear must meet two sometimes conflicting objectives: limiting the environmental impact on core body temperature fluctuations and enhancing the body’s natural thermoregulation mechanisms.
In this context, reliable, precise, and continuous core body temperature data collection naturally becomes essential for developing and validating the effectiveness of such protective solutions for workers.
Reliable, precise and continuous core body temperature data collection plays a crucial role in developing and validating these protective solutions, especially in applied research for workers.