Sleep state organization in the developing piglet during exposure to different thermal stimuli

Sleep state changes in response to different thermal stimuli were investigated in newborn piglets between 2 and 10 days of age. Test animals were exposed to cold air (7-12 degrees C) and warm air (27-33 degrees C) around the face, while the remainder of the body was kept at first warm (normothermic) then hyperthermic. A separate group of animals was studied under normothermic conditions (control) for the duration of the study. Piglets showed typical changes in sleep state patterns characteristic of rapid maturation over the first 10 days of development. It was found that both the amount of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and, in some cases, the duration of REM episodes increased in response to facial cooling regardless of rectal temperature. However, hyperthermia with warm air exposure caused a significant decrease in the amount of REM sleep but not in the duration of REM episodes. It is suggested that an infant placed to bed in a cold room or exposed to a draft might also experience a greater amount of REM sleep than an infant placed to sleep in a warm draft-free room.