Published works

Exposure to stressors set in motion inflammatory, cortisol, heart rate and mood responses that allow the body to maintain normal healthy function. Severe or chronic stressors however, may adversely alter the action of these stress responses and lead to adverse health outcomes. Periods of sleep restriction and performing physical work are two stressors routinely faced by wildland firefighters, yet the combined impact that these demands have on firefighters' acute stress responses is poorly understood. Therefore, the objective of this thesis was to investigate the effect of physical firefighting work and sleep restriction on firefighters’ cytokine, cortisol and heart rate responses, their interactions, and how mood may influence any observed physiological changes.