Have you ever wondered whether you snore? Perhaps a partner or a family member has brought it to your attention, or you have spent sleepless nights listening to someone else's snores. Snoring is not just a nuisance; it can often be indicative of a serious condition known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This common sleep-related breathing disorder affects over 25 million adults in the United States alone. According to the Mayo Clinic, OSA occurs when individuals repeatedly stop and start breathing during sleep due to the relaxation of throat muscles, which block the airway.

In a surprising twist, recent research suggests that climate change may be exacerbating this potentially dangerous sleep disorder. A new study published in Nature Communications has unveiled alarming findings: higher ambient temperatures can increase the likelihood of experiencing obstructive sleep apnea by 45% on any given night.

“Overall, we were surprised by the magnitude of the association between ambient temperature and OSA severity,” explained lead author Bastien Lechat from Flinders University Health and Medical Research Institute in Australia. This correlation carries serious implications, not only for individual health but also for the economy. OSA is linked to significant reductions in workplace productivity and rising absenteeism rates. If OSA becomes more prevalent due to increasing temperatures, the global economy could face a staggering $30 billion loss in productivity, along with an additional $68 billion tied to worsened overall well-being.

The research team analyzed the sleep data of 116,620 participants across 29 countries over a span of 3.5 years. Utilizing an FDA-cleared OSA monitor, they established a clear link between daily ambient temperature and nightly OSA status.

Coauthor Danny Eckert emphasized that “higher rates of diagnosis and treatment will help us to manage and reduce the adverse health and productivity issues caused by climate related OSA.”

The health implications of obstructive sleep apnea, particularly in the context of climate change, are profound. Untreated or severe OSA can heighten the risk of conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, and depression, potentially shortening one’s lifespan. Individuals suffering from OSA frequently experience fatigue and mood swings due to disrupted sleep, which inhibits their ability to reach deep, restorative states of rest.

Moreover, poor sleep has been linked to accelerated brain aging, impaired cognitive function, deteriorating mental health, inflammation, cardiovascular problems, and a weakened immune system. Higher ambient temperatures are also known to negatively affect health, contributing to diminished mental well-being and poorer sleep quality and duration. Previous studies have indicated that warmer temperatures can intensify the impacts of OSA, resulting in lighter sleep stages and more frequent awakenings.

In their study, researchers estimated that the increase in OSA prevalence due to climate change in 2023 resulted in a loss of 788,198 healthy life years across the 29 countries examined. The implications for productivity are significant; the link between OSA and mood or energy levels due to disrupted sleep is well-documented. If the frequency and severity of OSA continue to rise, the consequences could be catastrophic for the global economy. In 2023 alone, the uptick in OSA contributed to an additional 25 million absenteeism days in participating countries, culminating in an economic burden of approximately $30 billion attributed to lost labor.

However, researchers caution that their study’s population may underrepresent the true health and economic impact of OSA. All participants owned sleep-tracking devices and lived in highly developed nations with better access to heat-mitigating tools like air conditioning, potentially leaving lower socioeconomic groups with greater heat burdens overlooked.

With mean global temperatures projected to rise between 2.1°C and 3.4°C, the challenges posed by heat are likely to worsen. “Our findings highlight that without significant policy action to mitigate global warming, the burden of OSA may double by the year 2100 due to rising temperatures,” said Lechat. “Moving forward, we aim to design intervention studies that explore strategies to lessen the impact of ambient temperatures on sleep apnea severity and to investigate the underlying physiological mechanisms connecting temperature fluctuations to OSA severity,” Eckert added.

For more insights on sleep and its health implications, stay tuned for further updates.