A new study from Flinders University finds that climate change may double the societal burden of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) within 75 years, due to rising global temperatures. Researchers urge for greater policy action and effective interventions to combat this growing health crisis.
In a revelation that may set new directions for public health policy, researchers from Flinders University have linked rising global temperatures to an increased risk and severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, illustrates how climate change could significantly impact sleep disorders, which already affect nearly a billion people worldwide.
“This study helps us to understand how environmental factors like climate might affect health by investigating whether ambient temperatures influence the severity of OSA,” lead author Bastien Lechat, a sleep expert at Flinders’ FHMRI Sleep Health, said in a news release. “Overall, we were surprised by the magnitude of the association between ambient temperature and OSA severity.”
Key Findings and Implications
Analyzing over 116,000 people’s sleep data worldwide using an FDA-cleared under-mattress sensor, the researchers found a direct link between increased temperatures and the severity of OSA.
“Higher temperatures were associated with a 45 per cent increased likelihood of a sleeper experiencing OSA on a given night,” added Lechat. “Importantly, these findings varied by region, with people in European countries seeing higher rates of OSA when temperatures rise than those in Australia and the United States, perhaps due to different rates of air conditioning usage.”
OSA is a serious condition that disrupts breathing during sleep, leading to increased risks for a range of health issues, including dementia, Parkinson’s disease, cardiovascular disease and even all-cause mortality. Untreated or severe cases can degrade quality of life and escalate the risk of traffic accidents and economic burdens.
Economic and Societal Impact
Health economics modeling using disability-adjusted life years — a measure used by the World Health Organization — revealed stark projections.
The study highlighted that the increase in OSA prevalence due to global warming in 2023 was linked to a loss of approximately 800,000 healthy life years across the 29 countries studied, translating into an estimated economic cost of $98 billion, which includes $68 billion in well-being losses and $30 billion from workplace productivity losses.
“Using our modeling, we can estimate how burdensome the increase in OSA prevalence due to rising temperature is to society in terms of wellbeing and economic loss,” Lechat added.
Call for Action
The study calls for increased policy action to mitigate climate change and manage the health burden associated with rising global temperatures.
“Our findings highlight that without greater policy action to slow global warming, OSA burden may double by 2100 due to rising temperatures,” warned Lechat.
Senior researcher Danny Eckert, a professor in the College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders, emphasized the necessity for further studies and interventions.
“Going forward, we want to design intervention studies that explore strategies to reduce the impact of ambient temperatures on sleep apnea severity as well as investigate the underlying physiological mechanisms that connect temperature fluctuations to OSA severity,” he explained.
Global Health Relevance
By drawing connections between climate change and sleep health, this study is a clarion call for intersectoral efforts in addressing the rising health challenges posed by global warming. Increased rates of diagnosis and treatment for OSA could play a critical role in managing and reducing adverse health and productivity issues related to climate-induced OSA.
Source: Flinders University