Patterns and reliability of children's skin temperature prior to and during sleep in the home setting

© 2018 Elsevier Inc. The relationship between patterns of change in skin temperature and sleep is well recognized. In particular, there is a rapid rise in distal skin temperature (Tdistal) and slower rise in proximal skin temperature (Tproximal) prior to sleep onset. The difference between Tdistalan...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: McCabe, S., Elliott, Catherine, Langdon, K., Abbiss, C.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Elsevier Inc. 2018
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/68786
_version_ 1848761889736097792
author McCabe, S.
Elliott, Catherine
Langdon, K.
Abbiss, C.
author_facet McCabe, S.
Elliott, Catherine
Langdon, K.
Abbiss, C.
author_sort McCabe, S.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description © 2018 Elsevier Inc. The relationship between patterns of change in skin temperature and sleep is well recognized. In particular, there is a rapid rise in distal skin temperature (Tdistal) and slower rise in proximal skin temperature (Tproximal) prior to sleep onset. The difference between Tdistaland Tproximalis known as the distal-proximal gradient (DPG). Rise in DPG is known as a measure of distal vasodilation, which contributes to the drop in core body temperature (Tcore) that is important to sleep onset and maintenance. Patterns of change in skin temperature before and during sleep are reported for neonates, infants, adults and elderly, however they are not known for school aged children. Therefore, the current observational study aimed to determine the patterns and reliability of skin temperatures (Tskin) and DPG in relation to sleep of school aged children in their home settings. Participants (22 children, aged 6–12) completed the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire and used Thermochron iButtons and actigraphy for four school nights in their typical sleep settings. There were evident patterns of Tskinchange before and during sleep. In particular, Tdistalwas lower but rose more rapidly than Tproximalafter reported bedtime and prior to sleep onset. This reflected a timely rise in DPG, and shows that distal vasodilation precedes sleep onset in school aged children. The measures of Tskinand sleep were practical for children in their home settings, and the observed patterns were consistent across consecutive school nights. Environmental and behavioural strategies that manage skin temperature before and during sleep should be explored for their potential as valuable components of treatment of childhood insomnia.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T10:38:51Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-68786
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T10:38:51Z
publishDate 2018
publisher Elsevier Inc.
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-687862018-09-03T03:21:23Z Patterns and reliability of children's skin temperature prior to and during sleep in the home setting McCabe, S. Elliott, Catherine Langdon, K. Abbiss, C. © 2018 Elsevier Inc. The relationship between patterns of change in skin temperature and sleep is well recognized. In particular, there is a rapid rise in distal skin temperature (Tdistal) and slower rise in proximal skin temperature (Tproximal) prior to sleep onset. The difference between Tdistaland Tproximalis known as the distal-proximal gradient (DPG). Rise in DPG is known as a measure of distal vasodilation, which contributes to the drop in core body temperature (Tcore) that is important to sleep onset and maintenance. Patterns of change in skin temperature before and during sleep are reported for neonates, infants, adults and elderly, however they are not known for school aged children. Therefore, the current observational study aimed to determine the patterns and reliability of skin temperatures (Tskin) and DPG in relation to sleep of school aged children in their home settings. Participants (22 children, aged 6–12) completed the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire and used Thermochron iButtons and actigraphy for four school nights in their typical sleep settings. There were evident patterns of Tskinchange before and during sleep. In particular, Tdistalwas lower but rose more rapidly than Tproximalafter reported bedtime and prior to sleep onset. This reflected a timely rise in DPG, and shows that distal vasodilation precedes sleep onset in school aged children. The measures of Tskinand sleep were practical for children in their home settings, and the observed patterns were consistent across consecutive school nights. Environmental and behavioural strategies that manage skin temperature before and during sleep should be explored for their potential as valuable components of treatment of childhood insomnia. 2018 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/68786 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.06.005 Elsevier Inc. restricted
spellingShingle McCabe, S.
Elliott, Catherine
Langdon, K.
Abbiss, C.
Patterns and reliability of children's skin temperature prior to and during sleep in the home setting
title Patterns and reliability of children's skin temperature prior to and during sleep in the home setting
title_full Patterns and reliability of children's skin temperature prior to and during sleep in the home setting
title_fullStr Patterns and reliability of children's skin temperature prior to and during sleep in the home setting
title_full_unstemmed Patterns and reliability of children's skin temperature prior to and during sleep in the home setting
title_short Patterns and reliability of children's skin temperature prior to and during sleep in the home setting
title_sort patterns and reliability of children's skin temperature prior to and during sleep in the home setting
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/68786