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Psychological and Physiological Effects of Sleeping Bag-shaped Aluminum Sheets on Night-time Sleep in Winter: A Disaster Medicine Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 February 2025

Kazuki Nishimura Open the ORCID record for Kazuki Nishimura [Opens in a new window] ,
Yutaro Tamari ,
Sho Onodera  and
Koji Nagasaki
Kazuki Nishimura*
Affiliation:
Department of Global Environment Studies, Hiroshima Institute of Technology, Hiroshima City, Japan
Yutaro Tamari
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Engineering, Hiroshima Institute of Technology, Hiroshima City, Japan
Sho Onodera
Affiliation:
Department of Health and Sports Science, Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare, Kurashiki City, Japan
Koji Nagasaki
Affiliation:
Department of Food Sciences and Biotechnology, Hiroshima Institute of Technology, Hiroshima City, Japan
*
Corresponding author: Kazuki Nishimura; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Objective

This study investigated the psychological and physiological effects of using sleeping bag-shaped aluminum sheets during night-time sleep in winter to reduce cold stimulation and improve the sleeping environment in disaster evacuation shelters.

Methods

Sixteen healthy male participants in Hiroshima City underwent 2 experimental conditions in January and December 2023: night-time sleep in winter with and without a sleeping bag-shaped aluminum sheets. Sleep–wake rhythm during night-time sleep (discriminant analysis method), subjective sleep soundness, mood state profile, heart rate, blood pressure, and cardiac autonomic nervous system modulation were measured. Wilcoxon’s signed-rank sum test, Friedman’s test, and paired t-test were performed.

Results

Thermal sensation of warmth and subjective sleep soundness were significantly greater with than without the aluminum sheets. Total sleep time and sleep efficiency were also significantly greater, whereas the frequency and duration of wakefulness after sleep onset were significantly less. Total mood disturbance, fatigue-inertia, and vivid-activity were significantly different between the control, aluminum sheets, and home conditions. Physiological parameters did not differ significantly.

Conclusions

These data suggest that using sleeping bag-shaped aluminum sheets in disaster evacuation shelters in winter could be effective in improving sleep–wake rhythms and subjective sleep soundness, although negative emotions were not improved.

Keywords

affectaluminum sheetsdisaster planningemergency sheltersleep quality
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 19 , 2025 , e28
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

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