The effects of climate change are mostly discussed in terms of temperature records broken during daylight hours, drought, forest fires and water shortages. But one of the growing effects of global warming is emerging when people are trying to sleep. Rising night temperatures prevent the body from getting rid of the heat load accumulated during the day, making it difficult to fall asleep, shortening the duration of sleep and disrupting restful sleep phases. The study, conducted by Climate Central, covering 1,338 major cities around the world, is the first comprehensive analysis to calculate sleep loss caused by climate change-related temperature increases directly on the clock. The results of the study show that sleep loss due to high night temperatures has at least doubled in almost all of the cities studied since the early 1970s.
THE NUMBER OF SLEEPLESS PEOPLE HAS DOUBLED
According to the analysis, the average person worldwide slept approximately 56 hours less per year between 2020 and 2025 due to higher ambient temperatures. More than six hours of this loss, or more than 10 percent, was directly attributed to the temperature increase caused by human-induced climate change. These figures mean that approximately seven nights of sleep are lost each year due to temperatures. Approximately one of these seven nights occurs as a direct result of global warming accelerated by human activities, especially the use of fossil fuels.
THE BIGGEST LOSS IS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
One of the regions with the highest sleep loss is the Middle East, where night temperatures are already very high. In some cities in Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, annual sleep loss due to high temperatures ranges from 55 to 87 hours. It is estimated that 12 to 16 hours of this is due to additional warming caused by climate change. In recent years, records have been broken in the region not only in daytime temperatures but also in the lowest temperatures of the night. In 2025, night minimum temperatures rose to 36 degrees in some Middle Eastern cities. Keeping the temperature at these levels throughout the night makes it almost impossible for the human body to cool itself and get rid of the heat stress it is exposed to during the day.
TEMPERATURE IS SPREAD OVER 24 HOURS
One of the main points drawn by the research is that night temperatures rise faster than daytime temperatures in many parts of the world. This change causes heat waves to become an uninterrupted health threat that continues not only during the day but also 24 hours a day. The fact that a person who is exposed to extreme heat during the day cannot cool down at night means that the physiological load on the body is carried to the next day.
Türkiye’S LOSS IS 35 HOURS
In Climate Central’s research, 15 cities from Türkiye, including Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Bursa, Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Istanbul, İzmir, Kayseri, Konya, Malatya, Mersin and Van, were examined. According to results across Türkiye, one person lost approximately 35 hours of sleep per year due to high night temperatures in the 2020-2025 period. An average of 4.5 hours of this loss, or approximately 13 percent, was attributed to the temperature increase caused by climate change. Adana was the city with the highest sleep loss attributed to climate change in Türkiye. While annual sleep loss due to temperatures in the city was approximately 40 hours in the 1970-1975 period, it increased to 48 hours in the 2020-2025 period. It was determined that approximately seven hours, or 14 percent, of the recent loss was due to climate change. Adana was followed by Gaziantep and Mersin, with six hours of sleep loss each due to climate change. Lost five hours each in Antalya, Diyarbakır, Konya and Malatya; It was calculated as four hours each in Ankara, Istanbul, Bursa, Eskişehir, Izmir, Kayseri and Van.
TROPICAL NIGHTS ARE LONGER
Prof. Dr. Ecmel Erlat and Assoc. Dr. According to the research conducted by Doğukan Doğu Yavaşlı examining the period 1950-2022 in Türkiye, the average number of tropical nights in the Mediterranean Region increased by 93 percent. The average duration of these nights throughout the year has been extended by 45 percent. It was determined that the start date of tropical nights was 10 days earlier on average, and the ending date shifted 12 days later. Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine Department of Public Health Lecturer Assoc. Dr. While Uğurcan Sayılı pointed out that many factors affect sleep time, such as work schedule, stress, health status, caffeine consumption, light, noise, humidity and bedroom conditions, he said, “However, the new study reveals that the increase in night temperatures, independent of other factors, makes it increasingly difficult to achieve a good night’s sleep.”
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