The Effect of Water Temperature on Heart Rate Variability and Cognition

Starting soon · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Mental Acuity

In brief

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a key indicator of fitness, and stress resilience. Previous research has shown that HRV decreases under mental workload, including during tasks that require strict attention. Studies also show that temperature exposure affects attention: cold increases the stress response while warm water has a calming effect. Very few studies combine thermal exposure with cognitive testing, and no controlled trials have investigated whether water temperature modulates HRV responses specifically during cognitive demand.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07654270

Run by

Arizona State University

People needed

30

Starts

2026-07-13

Expected to finish

2027-06-15

Last updated by the study team

2026-06-17

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 30. Sex: female. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Healthy women free of chronic disease (by self-report)
• 18-30 years of age

You may not qualify if…

• medication/drug use that has not been consistent for the previous 3 months or will be discontinued during the trial
• any acute illness
• regular use of cigarettes or marijuana
• pregnant or lactating women
• not fluent in English
• not willing to attend two in-person lab visits in downtown Phoenix and follow study protocol (including abstaining from caffeine in the 12 hours prior to testing)
• not currently competing in sports or unusually high-intensity exercise protocols (e.g., high-intensity exercise greater than 30 minutes most days of the week)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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