Elite athletes and their support teams have long treated clothing as part of the performance system rather than simply apparel. Modern fabrics and garment architectures are designed to manage the microclimate at the skin—promoting sweat evaporation, lowering local skin temperature, and reducing perceptual heat strain—changes that can preserve physiological function during high-intensity efforts. Reviews and experimental work show that sports clothing can meaningfully influence thermoregulation and subjective comfort (important when events are decided by fractions of a percent), and that certain garments (for example, well-engineered compression systems) can reduce perceived exertion and aid recovery even where measurable performance gains are mixed. PMC+2PMC+2
Comfort — or the lack of it — is an underappreciated cognitive load. Ill-fitting or distracting clothing increases body-awareness and diverts attentional resources away from goal tasks; laboratory studies show that clothing style and discomfort can measurably impair visual-motor and cognitive performance, which matters when athletes attempt world-record pacing where split-second decisions and tiny physiological advantages compound. Garment choice also changes the microclimate immediately at the skin, and fabrics with higher air permeability or engineered cooling layers reduce local humidity/temperature and improve subjective comfort during exertion. Taken together, the literature suggests a plausible pathway: apparel that reduces thermal and tactile distraction conserves attentional bandwidth and perceived effort, helping athletes stay closer to their physiological limits. SpringerLink+2Nature+2
Those same mechanisms translate directly to frontline medicine. Heat stress, breathing load, and the discomfort imposed by protective clothing increase fatigue, slow motor responses, and worsen mood and perceived stress—effects demonstrated in simulated and field studies of healthcare workers wearing PPE. These alterations in physiology and affect increase the likelihood of slowed reaction times and errors during time-critical tasks. If athletic apparel science reduces thermal strain and cognitive distraction for elite competitors, similar design principles (thermoregulating layers, ergonomic fit, and minimized tactile interference) should plausibly reduce distraction and preserve reaction speed in clinical teams working long shifts under environmental or protective-equipment stress. The data do not claim identical outcomes across contexts, but they support a strong, evidence-based correlation worth applying and testing in clinical settings. OUP Academic+2PMC+2