Key result
Hand temperature biofeedback beats oral biofeedback in reducing sleep-onset latency despite difficult implementation.
Why the study?
Does temperature biofeedback improve sleep-onset latency and sleep architecture?
Does temperature biofeedback improve sleep-onset latency and sleep architecture?
Temperature biofeedback, particularly of the hand, may reduce sleep-onset latency, but its clinical utility is limited by methodological challenges and difficulty of implementation.
Supports targeted research on hand temperature biofeedback for insomnia; should not yet change clinical practice due to feasibility issues.
Given the close link between body temperature and sleep, the perspective of manipulating core and peripheral temperature by self-regulation techniques is very appealing. We report here on a series of attempts conducted independently in two laboratories to use self-regulation (biofeedback) of oral (central) and hand (peripheral) temperature, and measured the impact on sleep-onset latency, sleep architecture, and circadian phase. We found that hand temperature was more successful than oral temperature biofeedback. Moreover, an increase in hand temperature was associated with reduced sleep-onset latency. However, most participants found the procedure difficult to implement. The temperature response to biofeedback was reduced in the aged and weakest at the time of sleep onset, and there was not a systematic relationship between the change in temperature and change in sleep latency. Methodological limitations and individual differences may account for these results. Recommendations for future research are presented.
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Forest et al. (2012) studied Sleep onset and circadian phase. Self-regulation (biofeedback) of oral and hand temperature was evaluated on Sleep-onset latency, sleep architecture, and circadian phase. Hand temperature biofeedback was more successful than oral biofeedback and associated with reduced sleep-onset latency, though the procedure was difficult to implement.
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