Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Hamas chief Khalil Al-Hayya is meeting with Egypt's intelligence head to add finishing touches to Gaza agreement: Source
Israeli media: The ceasefire will begin tomorrow at 12:00 PM.
Israeli media, citing officials: The agreement will be signed today, and the release of the first batch of hostages will take place on Saturday or Sunday.
Palestinian Resistance sources to Al Mayadeen: Hamas and the factions have officially approved the deal. Trump was notified while he was live on air.
Palestinian Resistance sources to Al Mayadeen: Hamas has agreed to the deal, which will be signed on Thursday in Egypt.
Trump: We are very close to an agreement in the Middle East.
US President Donald Trump: I will most likely go to Egypt.
Russian agency: Russia will conduct a nuclear test if the US does
Al-Nakhalah: We are the rightful owners, and we must fight to retrieve our rights
Al-Nakhalah: The enemy and its allies must know that we can never surrender to their terms and diktats after all the sacrifices made

Global warming decreasing sleep hours around the world

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 23 May 2022 16:13
4 Min Read

Due to climate change, temperatures during the night are increasing and even at a faster pace than daytime, making sleep a difficult task.

  • x
  • Global warming is affecting all aspects of health, including sleep.
    Global warming is affecting all aspects of health, including sleep.

The rising temperatures driven by the climate crisis are cutting down sleeping hours of people across the world, according to findings of the largest study to date. 

Due to climate change, temperatures during the night are increasing and even at a faster pace than daytime, making sleeping a difficult task.

According to the study, the average citizen - around the world - is already losing 44 hours of sleep a year, which constitutes 11 nights with less than 7 hours of sleep: a standard.

Loss of sleep will exacerbate with time as global warming is on the rise, affecting some groups more than others, based on gender and socioeconomic status. The sleep loss, per degree of warming, is around a quarter higher in women compared to men, twice as high for those over 65 years old, and three times higher for those living in low-income nations.

The methodology of the study required 47,000 people to wear wristbands that track sleep. The research was conducted over 7 million nights across 68 countries.

Rising temperatures damage health and increase the risk of heart attacks, suicides, mental health crises, accidents, and injuries, in addition to reducing the ability to work. 

“For most of us, sleep is a very familiar part of our daily routine; we spend nearly a third of our lives asleep,” said Kelton Minor, at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, who is a leading author in the research. “But growing numbers of people in many countries around the world do not sleep enough.”

“In this study, we provide the first planetary-scale evidence that warmer than average temperatures erode human sleep,” he said. “It might actually be the tip of the iceberg because it’s very likely our estimates are conservative.”

Related News

Montenegro's 'Lazy Olympics': Who can lie down the longest

Sleep apnea poses significant stroke risk, US study reveals

A night in which temperatures rise above 25 °C for a million people would lead to 46,000 extra people suffering from fewer sleeping hours.

“And if you look at the heatwave that’s transpiring right now in India and Pakistan, we’re talking about billions of individuals exposed to conditions expected to result in considerable sleep loss,” Minor said.

The study was published in One Earth, and it includes an analysis of sleep and weather data collected between 2015 to 2017. 

Women, due to having higher levels of subcutaneous fat, have slower cooling rates than men.

In addition, older people are known to sleep less and have less body temperature regulation, making it increasingly difficult to fall asleep. 

Furthermore, people living in poorer nations are less privileged, and therefore have less access to cooling facilities and services, such as air conditioning, fans, and window shutters, which also affects their sleep. However, the representation of lower-income people was not as high as higher-income study participants. 

“Lower-income people are underrepresented in the data and we’re very transparent about that,” said Minor. People living in hot areas such as Africa and the Middle East were not well represented in the study population.

Read more: African nations forced to spend on climate adaptation

The impact of global warming on sleep was seen across all destinations in the study, regardless of the countries' natural climates.

“Worryingly, we also found evidence that people already living in warmer climates experienced greater sleep erosion per degree of temperature rise,” said Minor. “We had expected those individuals to be better adapted.” Furthermore, people did not catch up on missed sleep at later times, according to the data.

  • Sleep
  • global warming
STOP THE HEAT: A Climate Change Coverage

STOP THE HEAT: A Climate Change Coverage

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025
The Palestinian resistance and the people of Gaza showed that after combating Israeli aggression for two years, they remain victorious in the face of oppression (Mahdi Rteil/Al Mayadeen English)

Al-Aqsa Flood two years on, a tale of victory

  • Politics
  • 6 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
An Israeli armored vehicle moves on a street of a local market during a military raid in the West Bank refugee camp of Balata, Wednesday, October 8, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Israeli settlers kill Palestinian youth near Ramallah amid raids

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during the Moscow format consultations on Afghanistan in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Iran interested in resuming nuclear talks: Lavrov

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva speaks during a news conference at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters in Washington, April 25, 2025 (AP)
Politics

IMF head flags US budget, Europe Defense spending challenges

Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, at UN headquarters (AP)
Politics

Meloni faces ICC complaint over Gaza genocide complicity with Israelis

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS