Baniasadi and his fellow researchers also found that temperature begins to play a “significant role” when it gets above 77 degrees or below 68 degrees, but their main concern was “what happens when it gets hot?” “Will this happen?” The researchers said they found that sleep efficiency decreased by 5 to 10 percent as indoor temperature increased from 77 degrees to 86 degrees.
“The consensus among most scientists is that anything over 75 or 80 is bad for sleep and can have negative health effects,” Baniasadi said.
Heat affects sleep because your body lowers your core body temperature to signal to your brain that it’s time to go to sleep. Sleeping in a hot room makes this difficult.
The findings, recently published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, conclude sleep and climate experts that hot nights can disrupt sleep and have detrimental health effects. It confirms that.
Elderly people are more sensitive to changes in temperature
The study was conducted in the Boston area from October 2021 to April 2023 and followed 50 participants aged 65 and older for 12 months each.
The researchers installed environmental sensors in the participants’ bedrooms to track nighttime temperatures and asked the sleepers to wear a special monitor (a ring) linked to their smartphones.
The ring measured how long people slept, the ratio of time spent asleep to time spent in bed, and movements such as tossing and turning. The monitor also recorded breathing and heart rate, as well as changes in body temperature throughout the night.
The participants were from a variety of living situations, including those living in subsidized housing and those without access to air conditioning. Baniasadi said some of the people were healthy, but others had health problems.
“We chose older people because they typically experience more sleep deprivation than younger people, their physiology is more sensitive to temperature changes, and they suffer the most from heat waves.” said.
Researchers found that sleep was “efficient and restful” when nighttime indoor temperatures were between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius (68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit), and when temperatures were between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius (68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit). They found that sleep efficiency decreased as the temperature increased from 77 degrees to 86 degrees. Fahrenheit).
These results are not surprising – there is growing evidence linking sleep deprivation and high fever – but this study focused on indoor air and participants living at home and sleeping in their own beds. This study stands out from other studies. .
A typical sleep study takes place in a laboratory, where scientists measure sleep outcomes at various temperatures, controlled temperatures, or other environments. the studycorrelating self-reported sleep behavior with recorded temperature data.
“We were trying to conduct our research under conditions as close to normal living conditions as possible,” Baniasadi said.
He said the new study is a valuable contribution to the field because it looks at “indoor temperature,” but is limited by the small number of participants. nick obradovicChief Scientist in Environmental Mental Health; Laureate Brain Research Institute and author Several the study Relationship between nighttime high temperatures and sleep disorders. For this reason, he said, “there is a strong possibility that their findings do not apply more broadly.”
“One of the strengths of observational studies is that you can usually get much larger samples than you can get in a lab,” added Obradovic, who was not involved in the study. “Given the small sample size, that strength is less applicable to this particular study.”
Baniasadi acknowledged the limitations, but said the decision was a “trade-off” and that higher numbers would have shortened investigation time, adding: “We wanted to monitor them for a longer period of time.”
Lack of sleep is linked to poor health
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the link between high temperatures and poor sleep is significant. inadequate and uneasy sleep, working less than 7 hours a night increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, depression, car accidents, and decreased work capacity, among other things. one third US adults The CDC says there have been reports of people getting less than the recommended amount of sleep.
night temperature is rising faster than those Experts say global warming is leading to sleep deprivation during the day, which can lead to worse sleep outcomes for vulnerable populations such as the elderly and those without air conditioning.
“Although we see the effects of climate change almost every day, including persistent heat waves, devastating wildfires, dangerous hurricanes, and flooding, one thing that doesn’t get much attention is… Impact on human health” said the climatologist. michael mandirector of the Center for Science, Sustainability, and Media at the University of Pennsylvania, and author of a forthcoming book.our fragile moments”
“Even more detrimental is the steady rise in nighttime temperatures, which is contributing to poor sleep quality, especially among vulnerable populations,” said Mann, who was not involved in the study. Ta. “These include older people and populations unable to escape the unrelenting heat, such as local residents for whom air conditioning is a luxury they cannot afford.”
Tips for regulating body temperature for better sleep
Most sleep experts said they recommend sleeping in a “cool, dark, quiet environment” that generally ranges from about 65 degrees to 75 degrees. Ronald ChervinHe is director of the Sleep Disorders Center and professor of sleep medicine at the University of Michigan, but was not involved in the study. “Many people say they sleep better under the age of 68,” he says.
Baniasadi suggested the following strategies for people who want to minimize the effects of high fever on their own or others’ sleep. However, he cautions that “each person may have an optimal body temperature.” “Try to observe yourself and understand what temperature is right for you. Everyone is different. For example, you can’t say that 72 degrees is good for everyone. It’s something you need to figure out for yourself.”
- Make sure to stay hydrated on warm nights.
- Please take a shower before going to bed.
- Please wear light nightwear.
- If you have a way to control the temperature in your bedroom, adjust the thermostat.
- Please open the window.
- Make sure your air conditioner is working properly, especially during heat waves.
- Please be considerate of others in your community. When it’s hot, check on your elderly family members and neighbors.
At a societal level, “we also need to make our cities cooler” by investing in heat-resistant buildings to reduce reliance on air conditioning, he said.
“Due mainly to climate change, nighttime temperatures are rising in most cities around the world, which is having a negative impact on sleep,” Baniasadi said. “Sleep affects everything. It’s good for your brain and other parts of your body too. When you sleep poorly, everything else follows.”
