Randomized crossover trial evaluates skin temperature for circadian rhythm estimation in healthy individuals, suggesting its potential in health research.
Key Points
This research aims to compare the reliability of skin temperature monitoring to activity data for estimating circadian rhythms under different sleep conditions.
Randomized crossover field study manipulating sleep duration (8 h vs. 4 h time-in-bed) over three consecutive nights among 17 healthy participants.
Continuous monitoring of activity and skin temperatures (distal, proximal, distal-proximal gradient).
Cosinor analysis to estimate rhythm parameters and linear mixed-effect models for assessing differences across conditions.
Cosinor models fit better on skin temperature data than on activity data.
Sleep restriction led to reduced activity amplitude, delayed acrophase, and increased mesor.
Skin temperature monitoring showed promising feasibility for field assessment of circadian rhythms after three days, without significant correlation to activity data.