Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 3, 2025

Human Circadian Phenotyping and Diurnal Performance Testing in the Real World
10:16

Human Circadian Phenotyping and Diurnal Performance Testing in the Real World

Published on: April 7, 2020

8.6K

Socioeconomic Disparities, Nighttime Bedroom Temperature, and Children's Sleep

Ben Hinnant1, Joseph A Buckhalt1, Emily F Brigham1

  • 1Department of Human Development and Family Science, 261 Mell Street, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849.

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology
|April 10, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Children's sleep quality is impacted by nighttime bedroom temperature (NBT). Extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, worsen sleep, particularly for children in lower-income families. Addressing NBT can improve sleep and reduce socioeconomic disparities.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Sleep Science
  • Child Development

Background:

  • Socioeconomic disparities can affect children's health and well-being.
  • Environmental factors in the home, such as temperature, may influence sleep.
  • Children's sleep is crucial for development and overall health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between family income-to-needs, nighttime bedroom temperature (NBT), and children's sleep.
  • To examine both within-person and between-person associations.
  • To explore NBT as a potential mediator between socioeconomic status and sleep outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized actigraphy to objectively measure sleep parameters in 46 children (mean age 11.5).
  • Recorded nighttime bedroom temperature (NBT) nightly for one week.
  • Analyzed within- and between-person associations between NBT, income-to-needs, and sleep.

Main Results:

  • A curvilinear association was found between NBT and sleep variables at the between-person level; both too hot and too cold temperatures were linked to poorer sleep.
  • Children from lower income-to-needs families experienced more extreme NBTs.
  • Some evidence suggested an indirect relationship between family income-to-needs and sleep via NBT, though with caveats.

Conclusions:

  • Nighttime bedroom temperature (NBT) is a significant factor influencing children's sleep quality.
  • Lower socioeconomic status is associated with less optimal NBTs, potentially impacting sleep.
  • NBT is a modifiable factor with implications for interventions aimed at reducing sleep disparities in children.

More Related Videos

Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments08:36

Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments

Published on: August 8, 2019

12.1K
Establishing a Device for Sleep Deprivation in Mice05:05

Establishing a Device for Sleep Deprivation in Mice

Published on: September 22, 2023

1.7K

Related Concept Videos

Nightmares and Night Terrors01:18

Nightmares and Night Terrors

Nightmares and night terrors represent two distinct types of sleep disturbances that differ in timing, characteristics, and the sleeper's recall of the event. Nightmares are vivid, disturbing dreams that usually awaken the sleeper from REM sleep, a stage of sleep where brain activity is high, and dreams are most frequent. Upon awakening, individuals often have detailed recollections of their nightmares, which can include themes of threats to survival, security, or self-esteem.
Nightmares...
136
Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Deprivation01:13

Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Deprivation

Insufficient sleep refers to not getting the recommended amount of sleep for optimal functioning, even if it's just slightly less than needed. Sleep insufficiency may occur due to lifestyle choices, such as staying up late for social events or work, resulting in routinely getting less sleep than required. For example, consistently sleeping 6 hours when the body needs 7-9 hours can lead to cumulative effects on health and well-being.
Sleep deprivation is a more severe form of sleep loss...
189
Factors Affecting Body Temperature01:28

Factors Affecting Body Temperature

As a nurse, it is vital to understand the factors affecting body temperature to monitor variations and effectively evaluate deviations from regular.
Factors may  include:
4.6K
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep01:24

Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep

Substance use disorders involve a pattern of using drugs more extensively than intended and continuing use despite harmful consequences. This includes legal substances like alcohol and nicotine, as well as illegal drugs. These disorders often involve both physical and psychological dependence, reflecting compulsive use of substances that significantly alter thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, contributing to a major public health issue.
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
202
Cause and Effect01:53

Cause and Effect

While variables are sometimes correlated because one does cause the other, it could also be that some other factor, a confounding variable, is actually causing the systematic movement in our variables of interest. For instance, as sales in ice cream increase, so does the overall rate of crime. Is it possible that indulging in your favorite flavor of ice cream could send you on a crime spree? Or, after committing crime do you think you might decide to treat yourself to a cone?
11.0K
Homeostatic Imbalances in Body Temperature01:19

Homeostatic Imbalances in Body Temperature

Hyperthermia occurs when the body's temperature becomes unusually high, often due to heat exposure, intense physical activity, or certain illnesses. This condition can create a dangerous cycle where elevated body temperature increases the metabolic rate, generating more heat and potentially leading to organ failure and brain damage. A severe form of hyperthermia, called heat stroke, can raise body temperature to life-threatening levels. Fever, on the other hand, is a controlled form of...
162