Climate Change Is Quietly Stealing Our Sleep

KAKALI DAS

Have you ever struggled to sleep on a hot summer night, tossing and turning as the heat refuses to fade even after sunset? Have you woken up feeling tired despite spending enough hours in bed? Most of us blame stress, work pressure, or an uncomfortable mattress. Yet an increasing body of scientific evidence suggests that climate change is quietly taking away one of the most basic human needs, a good night’s sleep.

For years, conversations about climate change have focused on melting glaciers, rising sea levels, devastating floods, droughts, and powerful storms. While these visible impacts continue to dominate headlines, another consequence is unfolding silently inside millions of homes every night. As temperatures continue to rise, especially after sunset, people across the world are finding it harder to sleep. The problem may seem minor at first, but the cumulative effects of poor sleep reach far beyond simple tiredness. Sleep deprivation affects physical health, mental wellbeing, productivity, learning ability, and even the economy.

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A recent global analysis by Climate Central, titled Climate Change Is Costing People Sleep, paints a worrying picture. Drawing on decades of sleep research and temperature observations from 1,038 cities around the world, the study estimates that between 2020 and 2025 people lost nearly 56 hours of sleep every year because of increasingly hot nights. Around six of those hours annually can be directly linked to climate change caused by human activities.

Six hours of lost sleep in a year may not sound alarming at first. However, when this loss is multiplied across millions of people over several years, the consequences become enormous. It translates into poorer physical and mental health, lower workplace productivity, reduced concentration, impaired decision making, and growing economic losses for societies.

The findings are particularly concerning for India. Cities across South India and much of Southeast Asia are among the worst affected globally because night time temperatures remain unusually high for long periods. According to the study, southern Indian cities lose between 78 and 91 hours of sleep every year due to hot nights. Of these, nearly eight to nine hours annually are directly attributable to climate change. Even more concerning is the fact that climate related sleep loss has at least doubled since the early 1970s in almost every city covered by the study.

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The burden does not fall equally on everyone. Lower income countries suffer far more because access to cooling remains limited. Within countries, women, older adults, young children, pregnant women, outdoor workers, and people already living in warmer climates face the greatest risks. Those who cannot afford air conditioners or other cooling solutions often have little choice but to endure increasingly uncomfortable nights.

These findings come at a time when much of Europe, now recognised as the fastest warming continent, is experiencing another extraordinary summer. France recently recorded its hottest national day since temperature records began, with an average national temperature of 29.8 degrees Celsius. Several cities in western France crossed 43 degrees Celsius. Southern Spain reached around 44 degrees Celsius, while parts of England repeatedly experienced temperatures between 34 and 35 degrees Celsius, prompting health alerts and temporary school closures during the June heat wave.

The World Health Organization estimates that thousands of excess deaths have already been linked to this summer’s extreme heat across Europe. At the same time, western Europe is battling one of its worst wildfire seasons in recent years. More than 12,000 hectares have burned in Aragon, Spain, while major fires have affected Almeria and wildfire alerts continue across Spain, France, and Greece.

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One might assume that wealthier countries are well prepared for such heat through widespread use of air conditioning. Surprisingly, this is not the case. According to the International Energy Agency, only about one in five households across the European Union has air conditioning.

Ownership remains extremely low in countries such as the United Kingdom, where only around five percent of households have cooling systems, and Germany, where the figure is between three and four percent. France has around 20 to 25 percent household ownership, while Spain stands at approximately 40 to 45 percent. In comparison, more than 90 percent of households in both the United States and Japan have air conditioning.

India presents a different picture. It is one of the hottest large economies in the world, yet access to cooling remains limited. According to the International Energy Agency, only about five percent of Indian households owned an air conditioner as recently as 2018. Although ownership has grown since then, cooling remains beyond the reach of millions of families who face some of the world’s highest heat exposure.

Recognising this growing challenge, India became one of the first countries to view cooling not as a luxury but as a developmental and public health necessity. In 2019, the Government of India launched the India Cooling Action Plan, commonly known as ICAP. It was one of the world’s first comprehensive national cooling strategies.

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Rather than focusing only on air conditioners, the plan takes a long term view of providing sustainable thermal comfort across homes, hospitals, transport systems, cold chains, and industries. It aims to reduce the demand for cooling through better building design, improve energy efficiency, lower the use of environmentally harmful refrigerants, and expand access to affordable cooling solutions. The plan has since attracted international attention and has influenced discussions in several countries looking for sustainable approaches to rising temperatures. Whether all of its ambitious goals will be achieved remains to be seen, but it represents an important shift in recognising cooling as an essential public service rather than a luxury.

Health experts argue that climate change can no longer be viewed as an environmental issue alone. It is increasingly becoming a public health emergency. The concept of One Health recognises that human health, animal health, and environmental health are deeply interconnected. Yet, in practice, governments and institutions often continue to work in separate departments without sufficient coordination.

The experience of cities such as Chennai illustrates this challenge. Residents have increasingly reported that recent summers feel more intense than ever before. Many people describe waking up repeatedly during the night because of excessive heat and sweating. Others say they arrive at work already exhausted because they could not sleep properly. These experiences are no longer isolated complaints but part of a larger global pattern supported by scientific evidence.

The effects of poor sleep extend far beyond daytime tiredness. Most people assume that losing sleep simply makes them yawn more or rely on another cup of coffee. In reality, the human body experiences continuous stress when sleep is disrupted. Poor sleep affects the brain, weakens concentration, reduces memory, increases anxiety, and raises the risk of depression. It also places additional strain on the heart, increases blood pressure, weakens the immune system, and contributes to long term cardiovascular disease.

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This stress is not always dramatic. Heat related illness such as heat stroke represents an acute medical emergency that often receives attention in hospitals. However, there is also a quieter and more persistent form of stress created by constant exposure to high temperatures. This low level heat stress accumulates day after day, gradually affecting physical and mental health without people fully realising what is happening.

The impact is especially severe for vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, children, older adults, migrant workers, construction workers, sanitation workers, delivery personnel, and others who spend long hours outdoors. Many of these individuals face prolonged exposure to extreme heat while also lacking access to cooling at home or work. As a result, they experience greater physical strain and are at higher risk of heat related illness.

One important factor influencing heat stress is the wet bulb temperature, which combines air temperature with humidity. Unlike ordinary temperature readings, wet bulb temperature reflects how effectively the human body can cool itself through sweating. In humid coastal regions, high humidity prevents sweat from evaporating efficiently, making it much harder for the body to lose heat. This explains why a moderately hot but humid day can often feel much more uncomfortable and dangerous than a hotter but drier day.

Heat also exposes deep social inequalities. People with greater financial resources can often protect themselves by using air conditioners, better insulated homes, or other cooling technologies. Those with limited incomes rarely have these options. They may live in houses with tin roofs that trap heat throughout the day, making nights almost unbearable. For them, sleeping in a cooler room is not simply a matter of comfort but a privilege they cannot afford.

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This is why health experts believe that governments must play a central role in protecting people from extreme heat. Individual efforts are important, but they cannot solve a problem of this scale. Climate change is affecting entire populations, and public policy is essential to ensure that vulnerable communities receive the support they need.

One encouraging example comes from Tamil Nadu, which has taken several important steps to prepare for rising temperatures. The state has consistently treated climate and environmental issues as policy priorities. One simple but highly effective initiative has been the introduction of cool roofs. Under this programme, selected schools were painted with reflective coatings that reduce the amount of heat absorbed by the building.

The results were encouraging. The indoor temperature in these schools fell noticeably, making classrooms more comfortable for students and teachers. Researchers also observed improvements in school attendance and student performance. A relatively inexpensive intervention such as painting roofs demonstrated that simple solutions can make a meaningful difference in reducing heat stress.

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The idea has wider applications beyond schools. Local governments, village councils, municipal corporations, and even communities themselves can adopt similar measures to cool public buildings and homes. Such initiatives are affordable compared with large infrastructure projects and can benefit thousands of people during increasingly hot summers.

Another innovative initiative introduced in Chennai is the establishment of cooling centres for gig workers. These centres provide a place where delivery workers and others employed in outdoor jobs can rest for a while, drink cool water, recharge their mobile phones, and recover from the heat before returning to work. While the facilities may appear modest, they offer an important opportunity for workers to recover both physically and mentally during long working hours.

The need for such facilities is becoming increasingly urgent. Gig workers spend much of the day outdoors, often riding motorcycles or bicycles under direct sunlight while delivering food, groceries, medicines, and other essential goods. Their work cannot be shifted indoors, making them especially vulnerable to heat stress.

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The same applies to construction workers, sanitation workers, street vendors, traffic police personnel, agricultural labourers, and many others whose jobs require prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures. As climate change intensifies, protecting these workers will require changes in labour policies as well as workplace practices.

Experts argue that employers and governments should introduce mandatory rest breaks during periods of extreme heat, ensure access to safe drinking water, provide shaded resting spaces, and encourage the use of clothing designed to reduce heat stress. These measures should become part of standard labour protections rather than optional benefits.

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Climate change is forcing societies to rethink what safe working conditions mean. Rules that were adequate decades ago may no longer be sufficient in a warmer world. Thermal comfort is increasingly becoming a workplace necessity rather than a luxury.

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Tamil Nadu has taken another significant step by officially declaring heat as a state level disaster. This decision carries important practical implications. People affected by severe heat become eligible for government support and compensation. More importantly, the declaration enables authorities to provide preventive measures such as drinking water, buttermilk, and other cooling facilities to people working outdoors during periods of intense heat.

Recognising heat as a disaster also changes the way governments approach the problem. Instead of treating heat as an unavoidable part of summer, it is acknowledged as a serious public health risk requiring organised planning and intervention. It shifts the conversation from individual responsibility to collective action.

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This approach reflects a broader understanding that climate change cannot simply be wished away. Rising temperatures are no longer distant predictions for future generations. They are already affecting everyday life, from the quality of our sleep to our ability to work, study, and remain healthy. Every year that passes without adequate adaptation measures will expose more people to these risks.

The challenge also highlights the importance of integrating environmental policy with public health planning. Climate scientists, doctors, urban planners, labour departments, housing authorities, and local governments can no longer work in isolation. Their decisions increasingly overlap because climate change affects nearly every aspect of daily life.

Sleep may seem like a deeply personal activity, but its disruption has consequences that extend throughout society. A worker who loses sleep becomes less productive. A student who cannot sleep struggles to learn. A doctor, driver, pilot, or machine operator suffering from fatigue is more likely to make mistakes. Poor sleep also increases healthcare costs as more people develop chronic illnesses linked to long term sleep deprivation.

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Ultimately, climate change is not only reshaping landscapes through melting glaciers, rising seas, and destructive wildfires. It is quietly reshaping human lives in far more intimate ways. Every hotter night that steals a few hours of sleep also chips away at health, wellbeing, productivity, and quality of life.

The growing evidence makes one message unmistakably clear. Cooling should no longer be viewed as an optional luxury available only to those who can afford it. In a warming world, access to safe and sustainable cooling is becoming a public health necessity and a matter of social equity.

As countries prepare for a hotter future, protecting people’s ability to sleep may prove to be just as important as protecting them from floods, droughts, and storms. The fight against climate change is no longer only about saving the planet. It is also about ensuring that every person can end the day with something as simple, and as essential, as a safe and restful night’s sleep.

Mahabahu.com is an Online Magazine with collection of premium Assamese and English articles and posts with cultural base and modern thinking.  You can send your articles to editor@mahabahu.com / editor@mahabahoo.com (For Assamese article, Unicode font is necessary) Images from different sources.