Temperature field of bed climate and thermal comfort assessment based on local thermal sensations

• The temperature distribution of bed climate is researched according to body segments.
• The optimal calculation method of mean bed temperature for thermal comfort study is evaluated.
• Local thermal requirements are obtained for the whole body thermal comfort during sleep.
• People would be in thermal comfort condition at indoor temperature of 11.3 °C with proper beddings.

Bed climate is an essential determinant in creating thermal comfort condition during sleep. This study explored the bed climate distribution and thermal sensations of different local body parts. The mean bed temperatures calculated from different measuring points were evaluated based on their sensitivity to the physiological parameter (mean skin temperature) and subjective quantification (thermal sensation vote). The results showed that the mean bed temperature around the middle part of the body (MBTM) was most suitable for use in the study of sleeping thermal comfort. The bed climate was regularly distributed along with human body segments. To reach a whole body thermal comfort condition inside the bed climate, the deviations from thermal neutrality of different local body parts were obtained. In addition, the thermal comfort zone of indoor environment perceived on the face was wider than that on the covered body. People could be in thermal comfort state when they perceived cool on face, and the indoor temperature could be lower with a higher bedding thermal resistance.