Effects of bathing-induced changes in body temperature on sleep

Journal of Physiological Anthropology

Original Article

Shigekazu Higuchi¹  Takafumi Maeda¹  Takashi Nonaka²  Hiroko Koga² 

[1] Department of Human Life Design and Science, Faculty of Design, Kyushu University, 4-9-1, Shiobaru, Minami-Ku, 815-8540, Fukuoka, Japan;Physiological Anthropology Research Center, Faculty of Design, Kyushu University, 4-9-1, Shiobaru, Minami-Ku, 815-8540, Fukuoka, Japan;Research & Development Division, Noritz Corporation, 5, Minami-Futami, Futamicho, 674-0093, Akashi, Hyogo, Japan;

关键词: Bathing;    Body temperature;    Sleep onset latency;    Sleep quality;    Distal-to-proximal skin temperature gradient;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40101-023-00337-0

 received in 2023-03-31, accepted in 2023-08-22,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundPassive body heating before sleep is well known to lead to improved sleep. However, the effects of the degree of change in body temperature by bathing on sleep quality are unclear. The present study aimed to clarify the effects on sleep of bathing-induced changes in body temperature.MethodsTwenty-three healthy males and females in their 20 s to 50 s bathed in their homes 1.5–2 h before bedtime under three bathing conditions: showering only; short bathing in a bathtub; and long bathing in a bathtub. Sublingual and skin temperatures and thermal sensation before and after bathing, sleep indices such as sleep onset latency, time in bed, sleep efficiency, and wake after sleep onset, all of which were evaluated using an actimeter, and subjective evaluations of sleep were compared among conditions.ResultsSublingual temperature just after bathing was significantly higher with long bathing than with other conditions, and the fall in sublingual temperature from after bathing to before sleep was significantly larger with long bathing than with short bathing. Sleep onset latency by actimeter was significantly reduced with long bathing compared to showering. In addition, subjective evaluations of falling asleep and sleep quality were better with long bathing than with showering or short bathing.ConclusionsIn conclusion, bathing conditions that produce a 0.9 °C increase in sublingual temperature appear effective for falling asleep and sleep quality, because core temperature shows a greater drop to before sleep than those producing an increase of about 0.3 °C increase in sublingual temperature.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Japan Society of Physiological Anthropology 2023

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