Summary
In human experiments under constant conditions where circadian rhythms run autonomously, eight subjects were exposed to a self-controlled cycle of ambient temperature: room temperature had been set 6°C higher during activity-time (wakefulness) than during rest-time (sleep) by the subjects. Under these conditions, the autonomous circadian period was significantly longer than under conditions of constant room temperature of the same mean value. In addition, the change in the period caused by the transition between the two temperature modes was positively correlated to the original period. These results are in agreement with results obtained under the influence of a self-controlled light-dark cycle.
The results allow the following conclusions: 1. An influence of self-controlled periodic conditions on the human circadian system, first demonstrated for light, also applies to conditions where temperature is the stimulus; 2. ambient temperature is, in principle, able to affect the human circadian system although its entraining effects when monitored as a Zeitgeber or its effect on the period when kept constant may be minimal; under the latter conditions, the effects of ambient temperature seem to be compensated similar to those of light.
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Wever, R. The influence of self-controlled changes in ambient temperature on autonomous circadian rhythms in man. Pflugers Arch. 352, 257–266 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00590490
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00590490