Body Movements of the Elderly during Sleep and Thermal Conditions in Bedrooms in Summer

Abstract

The frequency of body movement in the elderly and young people during sleep was measured in order to investigate the effect of hot thermal environ-ments on sleep in summer. Simultaneously, room temperature and humidity were also measured. In the morning after measuring body movements, the subjects completed a questionnaire about their night's sleep. The results obtained were as follows: 1) The time of going to bed and rising in the elderly was significantly earlier than the young. 2) The elderly had a tendency to judge their sleep as "good", however, there were no significant differences between the two groups. 3) The room temperature for the elderly during sleep ranged from 25 to 28°C(mean 26.5°C). On the other hand, it was between 20 and 30°C (mean 27.1°C) in the young, which was significantly higher than that of the elderly. 4) Body movement in the elderly during sleep was significantly greater than those in the young. 5) A significant relation between body movement and room temperature was found within each group. Under conditions of less than 28°C of room temperature, there were significantly higher rates of body movement in the elderly.