CIRCADIAN PHASE RELATIONSHIPS OF SLEEP-WAKE CYCLE AND BODY TEMPERATURE RHYTHM IN AGING.
Contributors: University of Washington.
Published: 1984
Number of pages: 80
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Gerontology.
Description: The purpose of the study was to describe the relationship of selected elements of the sleep-wake cycle to body temperature rhythm and to compare these relationships in a group of healthy elderly men to a group of healthy young men. The elderly group had 9 men with a mean age of 67.8 ((+OR-) 1.0 SEM) years and the young group had 10 men with a mean age of 24.1 ((+OR-) 1.0) years. Subjects maintained their usual patterns of activity, social interaction, and sleep-wake cycles. Continuous recordings of rectal temperature were made over a 24 hour period. The temperature record was sampled at 10 minute intervals, excluding exercise periods, and the waveform was fitted to a cosine function. Electroencephalographs, electromyographs, and electrooculographs were recorded during sleep for three nights in a laboratory. Hotteling's T('2) analysis was used to evaluate the least squares fit of the circadian temperature rhythm to a cosine wave and then to compare the cosinor temperature rhythms between the two groups.

All subjects had a significant cosinor body temperature rhythm within a period of 24 hours. The temperature acrophase occurred significantly earlier in the old men compared to the young men (p < .01). The young men had significantly greater temperature amplitudes than the old men (p < .05). Time from sleep onset to temperature minimum was significantly shorter in the old men than the young men (p < .05). There was a significantly longer time from temperature minimum to final awake time in the old group compared to the young group (p < .01). The old men had onset of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep significantly earlier in the sleep period than the young men. There was, however, no significant difference in the mean periods from temperature maximum to Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep onset between the two groups.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-05, Section: B, page: 1429.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1984.

School code: 0250.