Sleep apnea will likely increase because of climate change

Rising global temperatures are ruining sleep quality across the world. Sleep apnea, a common breathing disorder, is poised to become more prevalent in the rapidly warming climate. This will lead to overall worse mental and physical health outcomes and likely affect those in less-developed nations the most.

Up all night

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is expected to have up to a three-fold increase by 2100 in countries with temperatures 1.8 °C (3.2 °F) or more above preindustrial levels, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications. In addition, “high ambient temperatures are associated with a ~ 45% increase in the probability of having OSA on a given night, globally.”

OSA is when the “upper airway becomes blocked many times while you sleep,” said the National Institutes of Health. “The blockage can reduce or completely stop airflow.” It can cause daytime sleepiness, gasping or choking at night, high blood pressure and headaches. It affects almost 1 billion people worldwide. The bad news is that “higher temperatures can disrupt the body’s ability to cool down during the night, which interferes with the natural sleep cycle,” said ABC News. “This can lead to more frequent awakenings, shallower sleep and worsened airway instability, resulting in more apnea events.”

The study may have also understated the severity of climate-related sleep apnea; while the study was large, the data was “skewed towards high socioeconomic countries and individuals likely to have access to more favorable sleeping environments and air conditioning,” said a press release. These high socioeconomic countries nonetheless experienced higher levels of OSA.

Body without bedtime

Bad sleep quality has substantial effects on humans’ health. Poor sleep has been “linked to a higher resting heart rate, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke,” said UChicago News. It can also lead to “diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even depression and cancer.” Sleep is the “third pillar of health, alongside nutrition and exercise,” Bastien Lechat, the lead author of the study and a senior research fellow at Flinders Health and Medicine Research Institute in South Australia, said to Time. It is “essential for both physical and mental well-being.”

The rise of OSA is “burdensome” to society “in terms of wellbeing and economic loss,” Lechat said in the press release. “It’s common that people experience lower productivity and more frequent missed days at work” due to lack of sleep, said Fortune. “But if OSA frequency and severity continues to increase, that could be catastrophic for the global economy.” Untreated OSA is “associated with large decreases in workplace productivity and absenteeism,” said the study. This could cost the U.S. economy nearly $87 billion per year.

Climate change is leading to more heat waves across the world. “Overnight low temperatures are rising nearly twice as fast as afternoon highs, and this lack of relief during the night poses a significant health risk,” said ABC News. The problem is likely worse in regions with lower socioeconomic statuses. “For people in vast swaths of Earth without access to cooling,” said NPR, the “future looks hotter and filled with more sleep disruptions.”