Novel temperature-controlled sleep system to improve sleep: a proof-of-concept study

Shahab Haghayegh; Sepideh Khoshnevis; Michael H Smolensky; Ramon C Hermida; Richard J Castriotta; Eva Schernhammer; Kenneth R Diller

doi:10.1111/jsr.13662

Novel temperature-controlled sleep system to improve sleep: a proof-of-concept study

J Sleep Res. 2022 Dec;31(6):e13662. doi: 10.1111/jsr.13662. Epub 2022 Jul 19.

Authors

Shahab Haghayegh^{1

2}, Sepideh Khoshnevis², Michael H Smolensky^{2

3}, Ramon C Hermida^{2

4}, Richard J Castriotta⁵, Eva Schernhammer^{1

6

7}, Kenneth R Diller²

Affiliations

¹ Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
² Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
³ Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, McGovern School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.
⁴ Bioengineering and Chronobiology Laboratories, Atlantic Research Center for Telecommunication Technologies, University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain.
⁵ Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
⁶ Department of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
⁷ Department of Epidemiology, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

PMID: 35852479
DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13662

Abstract

The sleep-wake cycle is regulated by circadian Process C and homeostatic Process S. Selective thermal stimulation (STS) of the cervical spine region enhances glabrous skin blood flow (GSBF) and augments body heat dissipation to increase distal-to-proximal skin gradient (DPG) causing decrease of core body temperature (CBT), which can shorten sleep onset latency (SOL) and improve sleep quality. A total of 11 young healthy/normal sleeper males challenged to go to bed (lights-off) 2 h earlier than usual were subjected in a randomised order to non-consecutive treatment and control night-time sleep sessions. The treatment night entailed activation of a dual-temperature zone mattress with a cooler centre and warmer periphery plus STS pillow that applied mild heating to the cervical spinal skin for 30 min after lights-off for sleep. During the first 30 min after lights-off, GSBF (mean [standard error (SE)] Δ = 49.77 [19.13] perfusion units, p = 0.013) and DPG (mean [SE] Δ = 2.05 [0.62] °C, p = 0.005) were significantly higher and CBT (mean [SE] Δ = -0.15 [0.07] °C, p = 0.029) was significantly lower in the treatment than control night, while there was no significant difference in these variables during the 45 min prior to lights-off (baseline). Moreover, SOL was significantly reduced (mean [SE] Δ = -48.6 [23.4] min, p = 0.032) and subjective sleep quality significantly better (p < 0.001) in the treatment than control night. In conclusion, the novel sleep facilitating system comprised of the STS pillow plus dual-temperature zone mattress induced earlier increase in GSBF and DPG and earlier decline in CBT. This resulted in statistically significant shortened SOL and improved overall sleep quality, thereby reducing sleep pressure of Process S, even under the challenging investigative protocol requiring participants to go to sleep 2 h earlier than customary.

Keywords: Borbély model of sleep; arteriovenous anastomoses (AVAs); core body temperature; distal proximal temperature gradient; glabrous skin; process C; process S; selective thermal stimulation; sleep onset latency.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Body Temperature / physiology
Body Temperature Regulation / physiology
Circadian Rhythm* / physiology
Humans
Male
Proof of Concept Study
Skin Temperature
Sleep* / physiology
Temperature