A new study shows climate change might have an effect on how well we sleep. Everybody knows that it is almost impossible to sleep during summer nights, especially if they are unusually hot. This new research shows that global warming can increase temperatures even more which is going to take a serious toll on our sleep.
- Climate change causes heat waves that affect our sleep.
- The study was made based on data from 765,000 Americans.
- Researchers believe that the findings apply worldwide.
After a massive heat wave affected San Diego in October 2015, the number of people suffering from insomnia spiked. Doctors saw an unprecedented massive change in sleep patterns, most patients complaining they couldn’t sleep because of the extreme temperatures. Having to endure restless nights in San Diego, researchers decided to search for the correlation between erratic sleep patterns and sudden temperature shifts.
This is the biggest study that shows a link between climate change and sleep patterns. The study shows, once again, that climate change has an effect on almost anything. From animals to humans, everybody is affected by Global warming. The researchers mentioned that they believe that these findings apply worldwide. This research was published in the journal Science Advance.
The leader of the study, Nick Obradovich, mentioned: “We don’t have sleep data from around the world, but assuming the pattern is similar, one can imagine that in places that are warmer or poorer or both, what we’d find could be even worse.”
Scientists collected data from 765,000 people from the US. The nights when people reported sleeping badly were compared to those when temperatures were higher than normal. Researchers observed that climate change caused 3 nights of poor sleep per 100 people every month. They also found people with a lower income were more affected.
The explanation is quite simple. Individuals with higher incomes are more likely to own air conditioning devices than those with lower salaries. If temperatures continue to rise at this rate, Americans should brace for more uncomfortable sleepless nights.
Image source: Pixabay
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