A systematic review of ambient heat and sleep in a warming climate

• Published in: Sleep medicine reviews Vol. 75; p. 101915
• Main Authors: Chevance, Guillaume, Minor, Kelton, Vielma, Constanza, Campi, Emmanuel, O’Callaghan-Gordo, Cristina, Basagaña, Xavier, Ballester, Joan, Bernard, Paquito
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2024; Elsevier
• Subjects: Climate Change; Environment and Society; Environmental Sciences; Environmental stress; Heat; Hot Temperature - adverse effects; Humans; Neurology; Nighttime warming; Sleep - physiology; Sleep adaptation; Sleep health; Sleep Medicine; Sleep Quality; Temperature; Urban heat island; Nighttime warming; Climate change; Temperature; Heat; Sleep health; Sleep adaptation; Urban heat island; Environmental stress
• ISSN: 1087-0792; 1532-2955; 1532-2955
• DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2024.101915

Climate change is elevating nighttime and daytime temperatures worldwide, affecting a broad continuum of behavioral and health outcomes. Disturbed sleep is a plausible pathway linking rising ambient temperatures with several observed adverse human responses shown to increase during hot weather. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the literature investigating the relationship between ambient temperature and valid sleep outcomes measured in real-world settings, globally. We show that higher outdoor or indoor temperatures are generally associated with degraded sleep quality and quantity worldwide. The negative effect of heat persists across sleep measures, and is stronger during the hottest months and days, in vulnerable populations, and the warmest regions. Although we identify opportunities to strengthen the state of the science, limited evidence of fast sleep adaptation to heat suggests rising temperatures induced by climate change and urbanization pose a planetary threat to human sleep, and therefore health, performance, and wellbeing.