Struggling to get a good nap? Climate change could be messing with your sleep, warns major study

A major international study has found that global warming could significantly increase the risk and severity of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), a common sleep disorder that affects nearly one billion people worldwide. The condition, which causes people to repeatedly stop breathing during sleep due to airway blockages, may become more frequent on hotter nights, potentially doubling its global burden by 2100.

Published in the journal Nature Communications, the study is the first of its kind to explore how rising temperatures linked to climate change can worsen sleep apnoea and thereby affect global health, productivity, and the economy.

Sleep apnoea risk rises by 45% on warmer nights

The research found that the probability of experiencing OSA symptoms rises by 45% on hotter days, compared to cooler ones. Using data from over 62 million nights of sleep across 116,620 people in 41 countries, the study directly linked ambient nighttime temperatures with an increase in sleep disturbances caused by apnoea.

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Researchers collected the data using sensors placed under participants’ mattresses, which tracked changes in breathing and movement. This sleep data was then analysed alongside high-resolution 24-hour temperature records from advanced climate models.

Lead author Dr Bastien Lechat from the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute in Australia said, “This study helps us understand how environmental factors like climate might affect health by investigating whether ambient temperatures influence the severity of OSA.”

Low-income countries face greater risks

While the effects were found to be especially strong in European countries, the vulnerability was higher in India, Israel, and Brazil, where access to healthcare, air conditioning, and awareness may be lower.

In India, the problem is already substantial. A 2023 study by AIIMS, New Delhi, published in Sleep Medicine Reviews, estimated that over 104 million Indian adults of working age suffer from OSA, with nearly half of them having moderate to severe forms of the disorder.

OSA’s impact on health and the global economy

The study also tried to quantify the broader costs of sleep apnoea. In 2023 alone, the increased prevalence of OSA due to global warming was linked to the loss of 780,000 healthy life years and 105 million workplace productivity days across 29 countries.

The economic burden was staggering, about USD 98 billion. This included:

• USD 30 billion in lost workplace productivity
• USD 68 billion in well-being losses, such as poor health and lower quality of life

OSA has been associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, anxiety, depression, dementia, and even Parkinson’s disease, the study added.

Future projections: burden could double by 2100

The study warns that if global temperatures rise by 1.8°C above pre-industrial levels, a likely scenario under current climate trajectories, the burden of sleep apnoea could increase by up to three times by the year 2100.

The researchers emphasized that these estimates are conservative, and the actual burden may be even higher if mitigation efforts remain weak and if more people are exposed to extreme heat without adequate cooling or healthcare.

Sleep apnoea is often underdiagnosed and undertreated, particularly in developing countries. With the added stress of climate change, experts believe that healthcare systems must prepare for a future where climate-sensitive disorders like OSA will become far more common and costly.

Dr Lechat concluded, “Our findings show that rising temperatures do not just affect sleep comfort, they have real and measurable health consequences.”