AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 252, Issue 3 462-R470, Copyright © 1987 by American Physiological Society
Sweating responses and body temperatures during nocturnal sleep in humans
J. C. Sagot, C. Amoros, V. Candas and J. P. Libert
The changes in the central control of sweating were investigated in five
sleeping subjects under neutral and warm conditions [operative temperature
(To) = 30, 33, and 34 degrees C; dew-point temperature = 10 degrees C].
Esophageal (Tes) and mean skin (Tsk) temperatures, chest sweat rate
(msw,1), and concomitant electroencephalographic data were recorded.
Throughout the night, msw,1 was measured under a local thermal clamp of 38
degrees C. Results showed that the thermal environment exerted a strong
influence on both the levels and the time patterns of body temperatures.
Moreover, local sweating rate correlated positively with Tes, and this
relationship varied according to sleep stages. For a given Tes level, there
was a sleep stage-related gradation in msw,1 that was higher in slow-wave
sleep (SWS) than in stage 1-2 and the lowest in rapid-eye-movement (REM)
sleep. This is explained by a change in the excitability or the sensitivity
of the thermoregulatory system. The msw,1 differences between stage 1-2 and
SWS are accounted for by a decrease in the Tes threshold (Tset) for
sweating while the slope of the msw,1-Tes relation remains unchanged. The
lower msw,1 in REM sleep is explained by a lesser slope for the msw,1-Tes
relation without any Tset change from stage 1-2.
