“+45 % risk of sleep apnea”: global warming aggravates this scourge which will explode by 2100
Sleep apnea, here treated by a CPAP mask, could concern hundreds of millions of people by the end of the century, under the effect of global warming. © Shutershock
A team of Australian researchers has just published such a disturbing study: the link between high night temperatures and worsening of sleep apnea is now established. By analyzing the data of more than 100,000 sleepers, they draw up an alarming – and global observation: if nothing changes, the health and economic consequences could be as heavy as those of diseases like the Parkinson.
Global warming could double sleep apnea with 2100
In a world that heats up in sight, even our nights become a playground for the side effects of climate change. According to a study published in Nature Communications, conducted by the University Flinders (Australia), the increase in night temperatures is directly linked to an aggravation of obstructive sleep apnea (AOS). The link is clear: the more hot it is, the more the breathing is interrupted during the night. And sometimes to silent asphyxiation.
The higher temperatures are associated with an increased probability of 45 % to make sleep apnea during a given night.
To date, about a billion people are said to be affected worldwide. And the most disturbing is that in 90 % of cases, the diagnosis is not even made. Chronic fatigue, stroke, depression, dementia: the risks linked to untreated apnea are not just a simple snoring.
A massive economic and health impact, still largely underestimated
Difficulties to fall asleep, night awakenings, persistent fatigue: hot nights disrupt sleep and could promote apnea cases, depending on the study. © Shutershock
The study followed 116,620 people, each equipped with a sensor under the mattress validated by the FDA. Result: more than 62 million nights gone fine, cut with local temperatures. By crossing this data with local ambient temperatures, the verdict fell: the increase in AOS follows that of the thermometer, and the least equipped regions (without air conditioning in particular) will pay the heaviest price.
In 2023, warming caused a loss of 800,000 years of healthy life across the 29 countries studied […] Countries with low income or little equipped with air conditioning will have a disproportionate impact.
Economically, the damage is colossal: nearly $ 100 billion per year combining loss of well-being and fall in productivity. And again, these figures are undoubtedly underestimated: the majority of people observed lived in favorable environments, with access to air conditioning.
Our results show that without strong action to slow down warming, the burden of AOS [apnée obstructive du sommeil, ndlr] could double by 2100.
And in the longer term? If no strong measure is taken to slow down warming, projections become dizzying. According to researchers’ modeling, the worsening of sleep apnea linked to the increase in temperatures could lead to the loss of 36 million years of health on a global scale by 2100. And that’s not all: the overall cost of this phenomenon, between health impact, absenteeism and loss of productivity, could reach 2.8 trillions of dollars. Yes, Trillions. For a sleep disorder that most of the people concerned still ignore having.
Pending ambitious policies, two levers seem urgent: better diagnose cases, and guarantee decent sleep conditions for each.
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