How Climate Change Is Stealing Our Sleep
Shane Naughton
4 weeks agoA sleepless night can be the worst. You wake up two to three times with your mind wandering, or you have the frustrating inability to fall asleep or stay asleep. You may have a new cause to blame.
A 2025 study published in Nature Communications looked at how rising global temperatures caused by climate change are quietly undermining the quality and duration of our sleep, with serious consequences for our health. Its main finding: the deep sleep phase is shortening as the planet warms — yet another negative side effect of rising temperatures.
23 million sleep records from more than 214,000 people in mainland China were collected as participants wore tracking devices through the night. The research reveals that for every 10°C increase in daily average temperature, the odds of sleep insufficiency rise by 20.1%, while total sleep duration falls by almost 10 minutes — with deep sleep suffering the most significant loss (down 2.82%).
If global temperatures continue rising under a high-emissions scenario, the study projects up to 33 hours of lost sleep per person each year by the end of the century. The findings highlight a worrying trend that many people are already experiencing, and many don't know how much more they can take.