The Influence of Contact Intensity with the Outside Environment on the Bodyʼs Adaptive Capabilities During Antarctic Wintering

The research was conducted by a member of the 60th Russian Antarctic Expedition at the all-yearround Mirny Station. The aim was to study what influence contact intensity with the outside environment has on adaptive capabilities of polar station staff. The level of adaptive capabilities was evaluated using the method of cardio-respiratory synchronism, assessing the index of regulatory and adaptive status (IRAS). This method had been developed at the Normal Physiology Department of Kuban State Medical University under the supervision of Prof. V.M. Pokrovsky. It is based on recording the synchronization parameters of controlled high respiratory rate and heart rate. We compared IRAS dynamics of two aerologists during one year of wintering. The subjects had similar anthropometric data, health status and working conditions, the same length of Antarctic wintering (6 years) and were in the same age group. Contact intensity with the outside environment was determined by varying periods spent outside the station premises, mostly due to the lay-out of the residential and amenity buildings (canteen, leisure area, medical unit, gym). This period ranged from 2 to 7 hours on different days. The negative IRAS dynamics, being a marker of human adaptive capabilities, allowed us to identify the relationship between the intensity of environmental influence and the level of the body’s adaptive abilities in one of the expedition members who had been exposed to stronger environmental effects. The authors conclude that proper organization of off-duty periods aimed to decrease the influence of the outside environment will contribute to improving the health of the station staff and optimize their living conditions.