Differences in environmental perception of gender and sleep quality in self-regulating sleep thermal environment

This study was to explore gender differences in response to subjective comfortable thermal environment by performing human experiments in summer. A total of six discontinuous conditions for self-regulating ambient temperature were designed with five males and five females. Sleep onset latency and slow wave sleep, from the physiological indices of electroencephalograph, electromyography and electrooculography, measure sleep quality objectively. Results indicate that gender differences in subjective temperature preferences, thermal sensation and sleep quality are reflected by temperature or temperature intervals. In particular, women have a significantly higher temperature range than men. Meanwhile, the temperature sections of males and females corresponding to thermal sensation and sleep quality are summarized under the same thermal resistance. Moreover, the results of temperature difference between men and women on thermal perception and sleep quality showed that the temperature difference of subjective sleep quality coincides with the objective one, but greater than the subjective thermal perception results implying that a greater discrepancy between males and females in sleep thermal physiological needs than during their awake.

本研究旨在通过夏季人体实验，探究在主观舒适热环境响应方面的性别差异。针对5名男性和5名女性，共设计了6种不连续的环境温度自我调节条件。从脑电图、肌电图和眼电图等生理指标中的入睡潜伏期和慢波睡眠，来客观衡量睡眠质量。结果表明，主观温度偏好、热感觉和睡眠质量方面的性别差异通过温度或温度区间得以体现。特别是，女性的适宜温度范围明显高于男性。同时，总结出在相同热阻条件下，男性和女性对应热感觉和睡眠质量的温度区间。此外，关于男女在热感知和睡眠质量上的温差研究结果显示，主观睡眠质量的温差与客观结果相符，但大于主观热感知结果，这意味着男女在睡眠时的热生理需求差异比清醒时更大。