Global heating is cutting sleep across the world, study finds

Data shows people finding it harder to sleep, especially women and older people, with serious health impacts

Rising temperatures driven by the climate crisis are cutting the sleep of people across the world, the largest study to date has found.

Good sleep is critical to health and wellbeing. But global heating is increasing night-time temperatures, even faster than in the day, making it harder to sleep. The analysis revealed that the average global citizen is already losing 44 hours of sleep a year, leading to 11 nights with less than seven hours' sleep, a standard benchmark of sufficient sleep.