Does Exposure to a Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Field Modify Thermal Preference in Juvenile Rats?
Pelletier A, Delanaud S, de Seze R, Bach V, Libert JP, Loos N · 2014
View Original AbstractRats exposed to cell phone radiation slept 15% longer and preferred warmer temperatures, revealing how RF exposure disrupts normal sleep and thermoregulation.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed young rats to cell phone-frequency radiation (900 MHz) for five weeks and found the animals developed altered sleep patterns and temperature preferences. The exposed rats slept 15.5% longer, preferred warmer environments, and had cooler tail temperatures, suggesting the radiation disrupted their normal body temperature regulation. This provides biological evidence that radiofrequency exposure can interfere with fundamental physiological processes like sleep and thermoregulation.
Why This Matters
This study reveals something crucial that many people experience but struggle to explain: how wireless radiation can disrupt sleep through temperature regulation pathways. The rats' preference for warmer sleeping environments and increased slow-wave sleep suggests their bodies were working harder to maintain thermal balance when exposed to 900 MHz radiation. What makes this research particularly relevant is that the exposure level (1 V/m electric field) falls within the range of ambient radiofrequency levels many people encounter daily from cell towers and wireless devices. The fact that these effects occurred during the animals' normal sleep period (light phase for nocturnal rats) mirrors reports from people living near cell towers who experience sleep disturbances. The researchers' conclusion that increased slow-wave sleep may represent a 'protective adaptation' suggests our bodies are actively working to counter the biological stress of RF exposure, which could explain why many people report feeling tired despite sleeping more in high-EMF environments.
Exposure Details
- Electric Field
- 1 V/m
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 5 weeks
Exposure Context
This study used 1 V/m for electric fields:
- 3.3x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.3 V/m
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Study Details
Here, we sought to establish whether sleep disturbances might result from the disturbance of thermoregulatory processes by a RF-EMF.
We recorded thermal preference and sleep stage distribution in 18 young male Wistar rats. Nine anima...
Our results indicated that relative to control group, exposure to RF-EMF at 31°C was associated with...
We conclude that RF-EMF exposure induced a shift in thermal preference towards higher temperatures. The shift in preferred temperature might result from a cold thermal sensation. The change in sleep stage distribution may involve signals from thermoreceptors in the skin. Modulation of SWS may be a protective adaptation in response to RF-EMF exposure.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2014_does_exposure_to_a_1266,
author = {Pelletier A and Delanaud S and de Seze R and Bach V and Libert JP and Loos N},
title = {Does Exposure to a Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Field Modify Thermal Preference in Juvenile Rats?},
year = {2014},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0099007},
}