Climate change Inevitably Causing Shifts in Temperature Affecting Quality and Amount of Slumber
Updated Article:
Brace yourself, folks, as global warming sorbentally affects our shut-eye, toting a whopping loss of around 50 to 58 hours of annual slumber by the year 2099, unveiled by a study orchestrated by researchers at the University of Copenhagen[1]. That's roughly an hour lost each week, draining you little by little.
Derived from data sourced from accelerometer-based sleep-tracking wristbands, this groundbreaking research discloses a chilling future where scorching temperatures become the "sleepiness killers."
The research accounted for 7 million individual records coursed from over 47,000 adults hailing from 68 nations across the continents, barring Antarctica. The team discovered that on insufferably hot nights when temperatures ventured beyond 30 ̊C, sleep duration decreased by an average of 14 minutes. The prospects of scarce sleep, below the recommended seven hours, also escalated in tandem with the rise in temperature[2].
"In this study, we've laid bare the evidence that warmer-than-average temperatures pitifully decimate human sleep. We demonstrate that this erosion predominantly ensues by pushing back our bedtimes and precipitating an advancement in waking hours during soporifically sultry conditions," said the study's initial investigator, Kelton Minor, hailing from the University of Copenhagen[2].
The effect was most conspicuous for inhabitants of lower-income countries, older adults, and women[2].
As our bodies snowball heat into the surrounding environment during sleep by dilating blood vessels and boosting blood flow to our hands and feet, the surrounding air needs to be cooler than our bodies for this process to function optimally. If not, our slumber faces interruptions[3].
The team aims to expand the study by incorporating data from an even more extensive cohort, emphasizing vulnerable populations such as those residing in the scorching and impoverished corners of the world.
"To make sagacious climate policy decisions moving forward, we must comprehensively account for the potential climate impacts arising from today's societal greenhouse gas emissions choices," said Minor[2].
Deep Dive:
- By 2050, the anticipated sleep loss is roughly 12 nights annually.
- By 2099, this sleep loss escalates to about 15 nights per year.
These reductions in sleep duration are ratified to climatically-motivated temperature spikes, which indiscreetly invade sleep quality and duration[1].
In other intriguing snoozefest news:
- Regular afternoon naps may pave the way to better cognitive performance[4].
- The pandemic has dealt a devastating blow to our snooze schedules[5].
- Frequent daytime naps could unveil an early warning sign for dementia in the elderly[6].
- The alarming study by University of Copenhagen researchers predicts that climate change could result in a loss of approximately 15 nights of sleep per year by 2099.
- This loss equates to around 50 to 58 hours annually, with an hour lost each week, painting a picture of a sleep-deprived future.
- The research revealed that on excessively hot nights above 30 degrees Celsius, sleep duration decreases by an average of 14 minutes, and this trend of inadequate sleep escalates as temperatures rise.
- The team concluded that warmer-than-average temperatures detrimentally reduce human sleep by pushing back bedtimes and advancing waking hours under sultry conditions.
- To tackle climate change effectively and account for its impacts on sleep, researchers aims to expand the study by incorporating data from more cohorts, particularly vulnerable populations residing in impoverished, scorching regions.
