Sleep Researchers Are Studying Body Temperature to Lull the Restless to Dreamland
If you feel like you're dragging your feet in the morning, the remedy may be right inside your shoes or gloves. Scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center are researching a new technique to control the temperature in the hands and feet before bedtime to help insomniacs get some rest.With 60 million Americans suffering from insomnia each year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the sleep-deprived may finally be able to rest easy with the research conducted at The Center for Sleep Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell – who is leading the way in sleep research as one of the world's few groups conducting experimentation in limb-warming technology.
Sleep researchers are studying the use of a biofeedback device, with the hope of teaching insomniacs how to train their body for ideal sleep conditions before slipping under the covers. Results have found that raising the temperature in the hands and feet before bedtime may promote sleep.
"Sleep onset is best predicted by a rise in temperature in the hands and feet in relation to a person's core body temperature," says Dr. Matthew Ebben, a psychologist at The Center for Sleep Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and assistant professor of psychology in neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Participants in the study warm their hands and feet through relaxation techniques like visualization and deep breathing, which helps to draw the blood from the core of the body to the extremities, says Dr. Ebben.
During the day, core body heat rises and peaks during the mid-afternoon. Then, in the evening, body temperature begins to falls gradually and rises in the limbs. Rising temperature in the limbs at night has been associated with sleep initiation.
Scientists are trying to take advantage of this knowledge to artificially raise the temperature in the limbs of insomniacs – making them sleepy.
At the sleep lab, study participants, who have trouble getting to sleep, view a monitor that displays different images, like a setting or rising sun. Temperature probes read the person's hand and foot temperatures, causing the image of the sun to rise if they are successfully raising their temperature, and set if they are cooling down.
"The feedback from the monitors teaches the study participants which techniques are successful for them, so they can use the effective methods to train their bodies each night at home," says Dr. Ebben.
For media inquiries please contact Andrew Klein at 212-821-0560 or ank2017@med.cornell.edu
