Development and validation of a multi-node thermoregulation model for sleeping people

Abstract

To predict the transient local skin temperatures during sleep, this study developed a thermoregulation model suitable for sleeping people by considering the personalized thermo-physiological parameters, sleep-related thermoregulation laws, and the local thermal insulation of the bedding system. Ten subjects (5 males, 5 females) were selected for real-life sleep experiments using six bedding combinations (2.13–3.30 clo) in an artificial climate chamber simulating summer (26 °C) and winter (20 °C) sleep conditions. The predictions by the developed model were compared with those by the JOS-3 model and the results of real-life sleep experiments. It was shown that the mean error of the model exhibition mean skin temperature is within 0.6 °C and 0.3 °C for summer conditions and winter conditions, respectively. In addition, the mean error of local skin temperature by this model is no more than 1 °C. However, the local skin temperature predicted by the JOS-3 model had an error over 1 °C. This reveals that the currently developed model is more suitable for predicting skin temperature during sleep than JOS-3 model. This research provides a scientific theoretical foundation for studying human sleep thermal comfort. Also, it enriches the existing human thermoregulation models and offers a robust evaluation tool, i.e., thermoregulation model, for developing and evaluating sleep-related products, like quilts and sleep dress.