As global temperatures continue to climb, the effects are beginning to show up in unexpected corners of everyday life, including the hours we spend asleep. A new study from the University of Southern California has found a clear link between warmer weather and reduced sleep duration, along with poorer overall sleep quality. And the impact, researchers warn, is not evenly distributed across the population.
What did the study find?
The study analysed an enormous dataset: more than 12 million nights of sleep, recorded by 14,232 adults across the United States. The findings reveal a consistent pattern: as temperatures rise, sleep time falls.
Researchers noted:
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A 10°C rise in daytime temperature led to 2.19 minutes of sleep loss
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A 10°C rise at night resulted in an even greater loss of 2.63 minutes
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Warmer nights also increased sleep fragmentation, causing people to wake more often and stay awake longer in bed
While a couple of minutes may sound insignificant, experts emphasise that the effect becomes severe when multiplied across seasons, heatwaves, and millions of individuals.
Who is hit the hardest?
The data also uncovered stark disparities in how temperature affects sleep. Certain groups are far more vulnerable to heat-related sleep disruptions:
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Women
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People of Hispanic ethnicity
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Individuals with chronic health conditions
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Lower-income groups who may lack access to cooling resources
Researchers note that these groups already face higher health risks, and heat-induced sleep loss may worsen existing medical or social disadvantages.
Why does this matter?
Sleep deprivation is closely tied to a range of health concerns, including heart disease, weakened immunity, anxiety, and decreased cognitive function. The study suggests that environmental stressors like extreme heat may quietly magnify these problems on a population-wide scale.
With global warming accelerating, the findings highlight an urgent need to rethink how we design living spaces, adapt public health strategies, and protect vulnerable communities.
As the researchers put it, the nightly cost of climate change is already upon us, and it’s being measured in minutes of lost sleep.
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