Discovery that body temperature has a vital role in the onset of sleep

Insomnia affects up to a quarter of the population in Australia and can have a severe impact on the quality of life and health of long term chronic sufferers, who often cannot stay alert enough to remain in the workforce.

A breakthrough by researchers at the University of South Australia is helping to get to the core of sleep problems, with the discovery that body temperature has a vital role in the onset of sleep.

The research shows that the body needs to drop its core temperature in order for sleep to initiate normally, according to Research Fellow Dr Cameron van den Heuvel at UniSA’s Centre for Sleep Research.

“About one to one and a half hours before falling sleep, the body starts to lose heat from its central core and that brings on increased feelings of tiredness in normal healthy adults. These physiological changes happen well before going to bed and may be occurring before people realise them,” Dr van den Heuvel said.

“Temperature regulation is a significant factor in each of the two types of insomnia. The difference is when the insomnia occurs. People with sleep onset insomnia have difficulty initiating sleep at the beginning of the night, taking two to four hours each night in the worst cases; while people with sleep maintenance insomnia fall asleep easily but have trouble staying asleep, waking up multiple times during the night. Sleep onset insomnia is most common in the 20-30 year age range whereas sleep maintenance insomnia affects mostly retirees and the elderly. In both types of insomnia, sleep is not restful and sufferers are tired during the day.