The Experimental study on comfortable thermal conditions in dwellings for the elderly from the view point of their physiological responses

1992 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 03650481
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: 建築環境・環境工学
• Research Institution: The Institute of Public Health
• Principal Investigator: OHNAKA Tadakatsu The Institute of Public Health, 生理衛生学部, 主任研究官 (20112716)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TSUZUKI Kazuyo National Institute of Bioscience and Human-Technology, 生命工学工業技術研究所, 研究員 ; TOCHIHARA Yutaka The Institute of Public Health, 生理衛生学部, 室長 (50095907)
• Project Period (FY): 1991 – 1992
• Keywords: Elderly / Preferred temperature / Physiological responses / Select of air temperature / Sleep

Research Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the proper thermal conditions in the dwellings for elderly. Especially the room temperatures of living room and bedroom were studied from a view point of their physiological responses by the experiment and field survey.
1.Living room temperature
Preferred temperatures after exposures to cold or hot environments were analyzed for the temperature control of air conditioners. Eight elderly, 63 to 73 years of age, and nine young, 19 to 27 years, females wearing the same type of clothing were exposed to cold(10ﾟC), moderate(25ﾟC) or hot(35ﾟC) environments for 30 minutes in the exposure room. Then they entered to the self-control room of which temperature was set at 25ﾟC, and instructed to operate the switch when they felt uncomfortably warm or cool for 90 minutes. The ambient temperature was recorded continuously, and analyzed the preferred temperature which was defined as the crest and trough of temperature records. The preferred temperatures after the cold exposure was significantly higher than those of other exposure conditions in the elderly. On the other hand, there was no significant difference of the first preferred temperature among the exposure conditions in the young. Although the effect of exposures to cold or hot environments decreased in the later parts of self-control, the elderly still preferred the higher temperature after cold exposure. These results suggest that the elderly are more influenced by previous exposure conditions on subsequent responses in selecting preferred temperature. Especially exposure to cold environments offered a greater effect and this effect continued for a long period.
2.Bedroom temperature
The proper bedroom temperature was investigated from the records of body movements of the elderly people during sleep. The frequency of body movements of the elderly people and the young during sleep was measured in order to investigate the effects of thermal environments on sleep in summer and winter in their dwellings. Simultaneously, room temperature and the temperature in beds were also measured. The results obtained were (1) The room temperatures were about 26ﾟC in summer and about 6ﾟC in winter, which were out of range for the suitable temperature for sleep. (2) Although the temperatures in beds were around 28ﾟC in summer and higher than the permissible range, those in winter was about 25ﾟC, which has been recommended as the temperature in beds suitable for sleep. The frequencies of body movements of the elderly people were higher than the young, especially about the 26ﾟC of room temperature in summer.