Comparative study on thermal comfort responses and sleep quality between Indonesian and Japanese students during summer in Japan

Abstract

The comfort temperature and sleep quality of Indonesian residing in Japan during summer might be different from Japanese. As an extended previous research, this study aimed to compare the thermal comfort and sleep quality between Japanese and Indonesian students. Male Indonesian and Japanese students aged 20-35 years participated in this study. The participants completed a survey regarding thermal sensation before sleep. During sleep, actigraphy was used to monitor sleep. Additionally, the temperature and relative humidity of the participants' bedrooms were recorded. The findings of this study indicated that Indonesian students' bedroom temperature and relative humidity were not significantly different from those of Japanese students during the summer. Most of Indonesian students preferred neutral, like the Japanese students. According to a thermal comfort survey, Indonesians had the same sensation as Japanese (slightly comfortable). However, the Griffiths method revealed that the mean comfort temperature of Indonesian was higher than those of Japanese students. We also discovered that Indonesian students had shorter duration on bed and sleep minute than Japanese students. Furthermore, the sleep rate of Indonesian students was comparable to that of Japanese students. In conclusion, Indonesian students as tropical native became capable of adjusting to the hot and humid conditions in temperate climate, Japan.