Global warming: how does night heat reduce our sleep time?

According to a study published in the journal One Earth on Friday, May 20, 2022, global warming will cause a loss of sleep time worldwide. 

Global warming would have a negative impact on the sleep patterns of human beings around the world. This is in any case what four researchers say in a study published on Friday, May 20, 2022, in the journal One Earth. 

Warm nights decrease sleep by 14 minutes

In order to carry out their study, the scientists collected data on more than 47,000 adults in 68 countries through sleep tracking bracelets. After observing the results, they made alarming conclusions. "The researchers observed that on very hot nights – those when the temperature was above 30 ° C – the duration of sleep decreased on average by more than fourteen minutes," relayed the news site The Hill.

According to them, the higher the temperatures, the lower the quality of sleep, with a significant loss over the night. The researchers finally came to the conclusion that by 2100, global warming could "cause between 50 and 58 hours of sleep per person per year to be lost," before the earth becomes uninhabitable.

The impact of global warming varies between individuals

Kelton Minor, one of the researchers who participated in the study published in One Earth, provided further details regarding the impact of global warming on sleep. Indeed, he explained that it would not affect individuals equally. Women and the elderly would be more affected than men, for example.

Another finding concerns developing countries, which would also be more impacted by rising temperatures at night. This data could be explained by the contribution of air conditioning in the world. This information is to be taken lightly, however, as it could not be confirmed in the study conducted by the researchers.