2007, Piran, Slovenia

Occupational Thermal Problems
and dry. The environmental temperature dropped from -5° C to -18 °C during the monitoring
period. Energy intake was not controlled.
Physiological recordings. Energy consumption was calculated indirectly from HR and HRV
responses during the exercise. The circulatory signals were collected by R-R interval thoracic
belt and saved in wriststop computer (Suunto t6, Finland). The analyses were made by special
software for circulatory and metabolic calculations (Firstbeat Technologies Ltd., version
1.4.1, 2006, Finland). The novel algorithm allowed us to separate the periods of physical
activities from the inactive phases. In the analyses the findings of the circulatory profile
during the VO2max test were used to improve the accuracy of the field recordings. The
recordings began in the morning (between 8 and 9 a.m.) and continued for 24 hours.
The salivary NPY samples were collected in the morning and after 12 hours of various
physical activities during the military operations. The samples were taken with 5 minutes free
excretion technique and frozen immediately to -70 °C. The NPY was analysed in the
Biomonitoring Laboratory of FIOH (RIA, Phoenix Pharmaceuticals). Mental stress was
evaluated by a three item Visual Analogue Scale: sleepiness, anxiety, and physical strain. The
salivary cortisol levels were also analyzed. The samples were collected with Salivette
technique.
Statistical analyses. SPSS (version 12.01, SPSS Inc, USA) software was employed in the
statistical analyses, and the correlations were tested with Pearson’s method. A level of
probability of p