Health consequences of climate change Warmer nights cause sleep disorders

Warmer nights: Less sleep due to climate change
Those who do not sleep well are at risk for their health. For a restful sleep, the room temperature in the bedroom should not be too high. But climate change ensures that the nights are often uncomfortably warm. In the future, the problem will get worse. Global warming sleep disorders will increase, according to a new study.

Warmer nights due to climate change
Research has shown that global warming can directly affect our health. For example, a new hay fever wave can be expected due to climate change. Also, the spread of insects that can transmit dangerous diseases has been compounded by the higher temperatures. Researchers from the United States now report another health impact caused by climate change: the associated warmer nights make for more sleep disorders.

Global warming keeps the nights warmer and warmer. This causes us to sleep worse. According to a new study, sleep disorders will continue to increase as a result of climate change. (Image: Jonas Glaubitz / fotolia.com)

Sleep disorders endanger your health
Those who sleep permanently poorly not only suffer from tiredness, but are also at greater risk for conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, diabetes and also cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks.

According to the Robert Koch Institute, about 25 percent of Germans suffer from sleep disorders, while sleep is often not restful for a further eleven percent.

In the future, the number of those affected could increase significantly. Because the climate change ensures warmer and warmer nights and many people sleep worse.

Connection between bad sleep and high temperatures
According to a study published in the journal "Science Advances", the warmer night temperatures caused by climate change could increasingly lead to insomnia.

In the study led by Nick Obradovich of Harvard University, researchers analyzed data from 765,000 US citizens who had participated in a major health study between 2002 and 2011.

There was a clear correlation between bad sleep and warm weather. Already at a temperature that was only one degree higher than the normal values, three nights of sleep were added per person per month.

Part of the research already took place when Obradovich was a doctoral student at the University of California at San Diego.

The number of sleepless nights could double
According to the scientists, this number could double by 2050 in the US. Especially older and poorer people living in inner cities without air conditioning will suffer during the warmer nights.

However, the situation will become more problematic in other parts of the world. "The United States is a rich country with average temperate temperatures," Obradovich said, according to a Washington Post report..

But in countries like Brazil or India, the impact is likely to be more dramatic. However, the US researchers had no data on this.

According to a report by the journal "EurekAlert!" Obradovich pointed out the associated health risks: "Too little sleep can make a person more susceptible to illness and impair mental well-being and cognitive functions."

Tips for hot nights
Despite the poor prospects, there are also measures that help to find restful sleep. Some tips for tropical nights can help here.

For example, a hot water bottle can easily be converted to a cooling element in summer. Fill it with water and put it in the fridge for about three hours before bedtime.

The best way is the cooling bottle wrapped in a thin sheet with taken to bed. Even a short shower with lukewarm water at bedtime can be relaxing and sleep-inducing.

We also recommend light meals instead of heavy meals. Other tips against the heat: Keep the temperature in the bedroom as low as possible by clever airing.

This means that the windows are only opened in the early morning and at night when it is not hot or not hot anymore. (Ad)