Head, face, and neck cooling for performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Head, face, and neck cooling for performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Purpose: cooling the head, face, and neck can have strong perceptual effects that contribute to improved performance. This systematic review aimed to determine the effect of cooling strategies targeting the head, face, and neck on physical and cognitive performance, determine any associated physiological and perceptual responses, synthesize adverse events, and provide practical applications.
Methods: we conducted a systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis, adhering to PRISMA guidelines. Studies that investigated the effect of cooling strategies targeting the head, face, or neck on a physical or cognitive task using a controlled trial design were included.
Results: sixty-three studies were identified, involving 618 participants (86.6% male). Cooling strategies included water-perfused devices (18.7%), phase-change neck collars (17.3%), fanning/cold air (14.7%), phase-change headwear (13.3%), ice/gel packs (13.3%), cold towels (5.3%), menthol application (4.0%), water spraying/dousing (4.0%), or a combination of strategies (9.3%). The effect of cooling on both self-paced and fixed-intensity exercise tasks was inconclusive; the 95% CI of the pooled effect was compatible with no effect and medium beneficial effects but not harmful effects. We were unable to pool cognitive data. Cooling reduced the skin temperature at the target site and improved thermal sensation and comfort. Effects on heart rate and core and mean skin temperatures were negligible. Adverse events were rare, and no intervention subgroup was superior.
Conclusion: we recommend that athletes experiment with a range of head-, face-, and neck-cooling strategies, including using different doses and timings, to determine the optimal strategy for their individual and sport context.
cognition, endurance, exercise, perception, physiology, thermal comfort, thermal sensation
743-763
Stevens, Christopher J.
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Borg, David
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Brade, Carly
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Carter, Sarah
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Filingeri, Davide
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Lee, Jason
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Lim, Louisa
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Mündel, Toby
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Taylor, Lee
93647d16-ff43-4725-af8f-74c041201f8c
Tyler, Christopher J.
9faa5e93-c463-482f-add9-92dea169d167
1 June 2025
Stevens, Christopher J.
f3384bda-7bb6-4273-9d08-ef39324236c8
Borg, David
a5596d34-da76-4949-bcda-d42f60058947
Brade, Carly
a67ef235-a7db-43ff-bbbf-c222eeb0c4be
Carter, Sarah
60141f52-3ea1-45ac-8926-7730f03ec21a
Filingeri, Davide
42502a34-e7e6-4b49-b304-ce2ae0bf7b24
Lee, Jason
fa6d2005-31df-4e05-8030-2941a7e2b954
Lim, Louisa
1e349820-a834-421a-a985-5f5168749748
Mündel, Toby
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Taylor, Lee
93647d16-ff43-4725-af8f-74c041201f8c
Tyler, Christopher J.
9faa5e93-c463-482f-add9-92dea169d167
Stevens, Christopher J., Borg, David, Brade, Carly, Carter, Sarah, Filingeri, Davide, Lee, Jason, Lim, Louisa, Mündel, Toby, Taylor, Lee and Tyler, Christopher J.
(2025)
Head, face, and neck cooling for performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 20 (6), .
(doi:10.1123/ijspp.2024-0561).
Abstract
Purpose: cooling the head, face, and neck can have strong perceptual effects that contribute to improved performance. This systematic review aimed to determine the effect of cooling strategies targeting the head, face, and neck on physical and cognitive performance, determine any associated physiological and perceptual responses, synthesize adverse events, and provide practical applications.
Methods: we conducted a systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis, adhering to PRISMA guidelines. Studies that investigated the effect of cooling strategies targeting the head, face, or neck on a physical or cognitive task using a controlled trial design were included.
Results: sixty-three studies were identified, involving 618 participants (86.6% male). Cooling strategies included water-perfused devices (18.7%), phase-change neck collars (17.3%), fanning/cold air (14.7%), phase-change headwear (13.3%), ice/gel packs (13.3%), cold towels (5.3%), menthol application (4.0%), water spraying/dousing (4.0%), or a combination of strategies (9.3%). The effect of cooling on both self-paced and fixed-intensity exercise tasks was inconclusive; the 95% CI of the pooled effect was compatible with no effect and medium beneficial effects but not harmful effects. We were unable to pool cognitive data. Cooling reduced the skin temperature at the target site and improved thermal sensation and comfort. Effects on heart rate and core and mean skin temperatures were negligible. Adverse events were rare, and no intervention subgroup was superior.
Conclusion: we recommend that athletes experiment with a range of head-, face-, and neck-cooling strategies, including using different doses and timings, to determine the optimal strategy for their individual and sport context.
Text
Cooling systematic review manuscript post print
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
e-pub ahead of print date: 12 May 2025
Published date: 1 June 2025
Keywords:
cognition, endurance, exercise, perception, physiology, thermal comfort, thermal sensation
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 502985
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/502985
ISSN: 1555-0265
PURE UUID: 5772906a-3547-4e62-a2c7-5dfea085c32b
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Date deposited: 15 Jul 2025 16:53
Last modified: 17 Jul 2025 02:17
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Contributors
Author:
Christopher J. Stevens
Author:
David Borg
Author:
Carly Brade
Author:
Sarah Carter
Author:
Jason Lee
Author:
Louisa Lim
Author:
Toby Mündel
Author:
Lee Taylor
Author:
Christopher J. Tyler
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