COMFORT IN ACTIVE SPORTSWEAR

CLOTHING PHYSIOLOGY:

       Clothing physiology is the mechanism of interactions between the human body and its clothing systems and it aims to provide infor­mation on the physiological pro­perties of clothing. Clothing physio­logy is expressed in terms of comfort, performance capability and the health of the wearer. The clothing is said to be physiologically right when it functions correctly while physical activity is taking places.

COMFORT IN ACTIVE SPORTSWEAR:

Sportswear needs to look as a whole system. If over heating is to be avoided, thermoregulation and moisture management are key functions of clothing designed for use as sportswear or active wear. The human body, its microclimate & its clothing form a mutually interactive system. The body and its microclimate are invariables; the clothing system is the only vari­able. The human body has an operat­ing temperature of 37°C which it attempts to maintain under all cir­cumstances. During physical activ­ity such as in sport the body tem­perature rises. The body cools down again through the excretion of perspiration. Perspiration crea­tes moisture vapour. If this cannot be released outward through the many layers of clothing a green­house effect results,

To prevent the body temperature exceeding the comfort zone the heat must simultaneously be dissi­pated outwardly. The human body has no problem excreting half a litre or even a whole litre of perspiration per hour provided that this process is not impeded by the relative humidity of its environment & clothing.

It is clear that clothing is the key to body comfort. It is not the heat of the body which causes prob­lems to the wearer but this un­comfortably hot sensation. Body vapour must have the opportunity to pass immediately from the skin to the outer surface of clothing. Many fibres are capable of doing this in the dry state. But the problem starts with per­spiration. Four types of `Clothing comfort' have been defined which are essential requirements for active sportswear . They are:

1. Thermophysiological comfort                     2. Sensorial/tactile comfort

3. Mobility/Dexterity                          4. Psychological comfort

      Thermo-physiological comfort:

This form of comfort may be said to exist when the person is in thermal balance i.e. when the rate of loss of heat from the body equals the rate at which it is being generated by the physiological processes. If the rate of loss of heat is insufficient, the person feels hot and the body temperature rises, heat stress eventually results. On the other hand if the rate of loss of heat is too high, the person first feels cold and the body temperature falls, causing discomfort to the person. Thus for getting thermo-physiological com­fort the sportswear should have suitable thermal insulation properties as well as sufficient permeability to water vapour and/or sufficient level of ventilation.

      Sensorial/tactile comfort:

The sensorial comfort does not directly involve any temperature balance, but is related to the way that the person feels when clothing is worn next to skin. Wet feeling and wet cling can be a major source of sensorial discomfort in situations of profuse sweating. If the skin is wet with sweat and if the sweat is not released by the clothing then an unpleasant feeling with wetness will occur. Also the clothing which is next-to-skin will stick to body which will prevent the sports person to perform properly.

      Mobility:

While doing the various physical activities in the active sports, considerable movements of body parts occur. The sportswear must therefore have sufficient degree of mobility so that wearer can be able to move freely. Too much volume, too much weight or too much stiffness of fabric will tend to reduce the mobility and leads to discomfort. The clothing should have low fluid resistance and stretchability and fluid resistance.

      Psychological comfort

The feeling of the wearer that he or she is dressed in a style/fashion means the psychological comfort. This mainly related with aesthetic appeal. From top-level professional sport person to amateurs, all demand psychological comfort to some extent along with other three comforts.

Haberstock has identified the desirable attributes of functional & sportswear and leisurewear, they are as follows.

    Optimum heat and moisture regulation

    Good air and water vapour permeability

    Rapid moisture absorption ; and conveyance capacity

    Absence of dampness

    Rapid drying to prevent , catching cold

    Low water absorption of the layer of clothing next to the skin

    Dimensionally. stable even when wet

    Durable e Easy care

      Lightweight Soft and pleasant touch

          It is not possible to achieve all of these properties in a simple structure of any single fibre or their blend. Ideal sportswear should be a multi-layer structure.