An Insulating Palmar / Plantar Muff as a Passive Thermotherapeutic Intervention for Sleep Disturbance Caused by Primary Vascular Dysregulation

Abstract

Our innovation is a specially constructed insulating muff, accessible through digit flexion, designed to produce distal skin temperature changes for the treatment of sleep disturbance caused by thermal dysregulation, a problem most often seen in women. We have designed a simple and comfortable muff that promotes either heat retention or heat dissipation depending upon digit flexion or digit extension, respectively. We have conducted small-scale piloting of our insulating muff and obtained encouraging preliminary data of its effect on distal skin warming. This innovation will allow sleepers to auto-regulate distal skin temperature through subtle movementsduring sleep, preserving overall sleep architecture and improving sleep quality.