Latest news with #Lechat
2 hours ago
- Health
Climate change is making it harder for us to sleep: Study
Rising temperatures, amplified by climate change, are contributing to an increase in cases of sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops during sleep, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Communications. "If temperature keeps rising the way they project it to, the burden and prevalence of sleep apnea may double, increasing by 20-100%, depending on greenhouse gas emission reduction," Bastien Lechat, the study's author and a senior research fellow at Flinders University in Australia, told ABC News. Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, affects about 1 billion people globally, and 80% of people who have it are unaware and untreated, according to the American Medical Association. Common symptoms of OSA include loud snoring, daytime tiredness, high blood pressure and headaches upon waking, even if "sleeping" eight hours, according to the Mayo Clinic. OSA has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, diabetes and depression. People with OSA also have two times greater risk of getting in a car accident, according to Lechat. The study followed over 115,000 people from numerous countries for up to two years, measuring their sleep quality with below-the-mattress sleep monitors and then cross-referencing this information with weather data to evaluate the relationship between temperature and OSA. When comparing 80-degree Fahrenheit days to days in the 40s, there was a 40 to 45% increase in the frequency or severity of sleep apnea. The risk was even higher for males and individuals who normally sleep longer or have higher body weight. Extreme heat can exacerbate OSA by making it even harder to sleep, the study noted. Higher temperatures can disrupt the body's ability to cool down during the night, which interferes with the natural sleep cycle. This can lead to more frequent awakenings, shallower sleep and worsened airway instability, resulting in more apnea events. Using existing health-economic models, the researchers estimated over 788,000 healthy years of life were lost or disabled in 2023 due to temperature-related increases in OSA, equivalent to a loss of approximately $68 billion, according to the models. "When you look at the rate of years of life lost per 100,000 people, this is similar to a disorder like Parkinson's disease, or bipolar disorder, or similar to low physical activity as a risk factor, so it's a significant burden," Lechat told ABC News. Lechat said that increased access to air conditioning and better diagnosis and treatment of OSA could offset some of the increases caused by climate change. As our planet warms, heat waves are becoming increasingly more common, having doubled in major U.S. cities since the 1980s, according to the federal government's Fifth National Climate Assessment. Overnight low temperatures are rising nearly twice as fast as afternoon highs, and this lack of relief during the night poses a significant health risk -- particularly for those without access to air conditioning, according to the assessment.
Edinburgh Live
22-06-2025
- Health
- Edinburgh Live
Nocturnal habit that could be an early warning sign of stroke or heart failure
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The largest study of its kind has unveiled that a common night-time condition could serve as an early warning sign for dangerous hypertension or high blood pressure. The research, conducted by sleep experts at Flinders University, found that individuals, particularly overweight middle-aged men, who regularly snore at night are more likely to have increased blood pressure and uncontrolled hypertension. This study, published in the Nature Digital Medicine journal, is the first to use multiple night home-based monitoring technologies over an extended period to investigate the link between snoring and blood pressure. "For the first time, we can objectively say that there is a significant link between regular nighttime snoring and high blood pressure," announced lead author Dr Bastien Lechat from the College of Medicine and Public Health. READ MORE - Dad wins landmark TV Licence battle after cancelling to stream from games console READ MORE - Coronation Street star died on benefits as 'virtual recluse' after acting career "We discovered that 15 per cent of all participants in the study, who were primarily overweight men, snore for more than 20 per cent of the night on average and that this regular nightly snoring is associated with elevated blood pressure and uncontrolled hypertension," Dr Lechat added. NHS simple tips to stop snoring:, reports Surrey Live. "These results underscore the importance of considering snoring as a factor in healthcare and treatment for sleep-related issues, particularly in managing hypertension." Snoring, while common, often is not recognised for the health hazards it can pose, and frequently occurs alongside sleep apnoea – which involves sudden stops in breathing as one sleeps. "We found that those who snore regularly had almost double the risk of uncontrolled hypertension. This risk nearly doubled again in individuals who snored regularly and suffered from sleep apnoea compared to those who didn't snore regularly," Professor Danny Eckert, Director of Sleep Health at Flinders University and senior author of the study, explained. Involving 72,269 UK Biobank participants aged between 40 to 79, new research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health did not determine exactly how strict one must be with their sleeping schedule but noted that greater deviation led to increased health risks. Jean-Philippe Chaput from the University of Ottawa and lead author of the study remarked: "We should aim to wake up and go to sleep within 30 minutes of the same time each night and each morning, including weekends. Within an hour of the same time is good but less good than 30 minutes, and even better is to have zero variation. "Beyond an hour's difference each night and each morning means irregular sleep. That can have negative health impacts. The closer you are to zero variation the better." While the odd sleepless night won't cause lasting harm, consistently disrupted sleep patterns can have severe consequences. "No one is perfect across a whole year, and if you don't have a regular sleep pattern for one or two days a week, it's not going to kill you. But if you repeatedly have irregular sleep, five or six days a week, then it becomes chronic, and that is a problem." Snoring could be an early indicator of high blood pressure, as the poor-quality sleep it causes may increase the risk of developing hypertension. Prolonged high blood pressure can lead to severe health issues, including heart failure, stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease. In a nine-month study of over 12,000 participants worldwide, researchers used data from sleep trackers under mattresses to monitor snoring and sleep apnoea. They also used FDA-registered home blood pressure monitors. "This is the largest study to date investigating the potential relationships between snoring, sleep apnoea and hypertension using objective assessments in people's homes, and it reveals important insights into the potential consequences of snoring on hypertension risk," Dr Lechat said. The study highlights the importance of addressing snoring in clinical practice and sleep disorder management, particularly in controlling high blood pressure. "The findings of this study pave the way to further investigate whether therapeutic interventions directed toward snoring can reduce hypertension and reduce the risks associated with it," he stated. If you're snoring and also notice poor sleep quality, constant tiredness or breathing difficulties while asleep, seeking advice from your GP or a specialist is recommended, and they could suggest undergoing a sleep study. For more details as provided by the NHS, follow this link.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Sleep apnoea cases may double this century due to global warming, researchers warn
Hotter nights caused by climate crisis could make sleep apnoea much more common and more dangerous by the end of the century, a new study has found. Rising temperatures are likely to worsen obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) – a sleep disorder already affecting nearly a billion people worldwide and linked to heart disease, dementia and early death, researchers said. The study, led by researchers at Flinders University and published in Nature Communications, is the first to model how climate change may intensify the severity and health impact of OSA. 'This study helps us to understand how environmental factors like climate might affect health by investigating whether ambient temperatures influence the severity of OSA,' said lead author Dr Bastien Lechat of Flinders University's FHMRI Sleep Health. Researchers analysed more than 58 million nights of sleep data from over 116,000 people across 29 countries, recorded via an under-mattress sensor that tracked breathing disturbances during sleep. The data, collected over several years, was then matched with hourly climate data from global climate models to simulate changes in OSA severity under different warming scenarios. 'Overall, we were surprised by the magnitude of the association between ambient temperature and OSA severity,' said Dr Lechat. 'Higher temperatures were associated with a 45 per cent increased likelihood of a sleeper experiencing OSA on a given night.' The study found that the temperature-related increase in OSA severity was particularly pronounced in European countries compared to Australia or the US, which researchers suggest may be linked to differing access to air conditioning. Researchers used disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) to estimate the health and economic burden of climate-exacerbated sleep apnoea. They found that in 2023 alone, rising temperatures were linked to the loss of approximately 800,000 healthy life years across the 29 countries studied. 'This number is similar to other medical conditions, such as bipolar disorder, Parkinson's disease or chronic kidney diseases,' said Dr Lechat. The total estimated economic loss was around $98bn, with $68bn attributed to wellbeing loss and $30bn to reduced workplace productivity. Senior researcher Professor Danny Eckert said the sample may under-represent the real-world burden of OSA in lower-income countries, as the data primarily came from individuals in high-income regions with better access to cooling and healthcare. 'This may have biased our estimates and led to an under-estimation of the true health and economic cost,' he said. In Australia alone, the cost of sleep-related health issues including OSA has previously been estimated at AU$66bn a year. The team now plans to investigate potential interventions, including how access to cooling or behavioural adaptations might reduce sleep apnoea severity under warming conditions. 'Going forward, we want to design intervention studies that explore strategies to reduce the impact of ambient temperatures on sleep apnoea severity as well as investigate the underlying physiological mechanisms,' Professor Eckert said. Without stronger global climate action, the burden of sleep apnoea is likely to rise sharply, the study warns, exacerbating public health challenges and straining economies.
Tom's Guide
17-06-2025
- Health
- Tom's Guide
Sleep apnea is on the rise — new study finds climate change might be to blame
As summer sets in you might notice the impact hot temperatures have on your sleep, with many of us struggling to drift off when stuffy or overheated. But rising temperatures might impact our sleep in ways we don't immediately realize, with a new study drawing a link between climate change-induced global warming and increased levels of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea, characterized by disrupted breathing at night, is already among the most common sleep disorders, with an estimated 936 million people worldwide thought to experience OSA (obstructive sleep apnea.) And this study indicates that this prevalence could continue to rise alongside global temperatures, increasing the burden of OSA on both our sleep and the healthcare system. Recently published in leading journal Nature Communications, the study from Flinders University investigates the impact of higher temperatures on sleep apnea episodes in 116,620 participants over the course of three years. Using under the mattress sleep trackers, the study found that on a given night, higher temperatures were associated with a 45% increase in the probability of experiencing symptoms of sleep apnea. 'This study helps us to understand how environmental factors like climate might affect health by investigating whether ambient temperatures influence the severity of OSA,' explains Dr. Bastien Lechat, lead author. 'Overall, we were surprised by the magnitude of the association between ambient temperature and OSA severity." Based on these findings, researchers predict that in the next 75 years the societal burden of OSA, including associated healthcare costs, might double. The study notes that the impact was most frequently observed in European countries, compared to Australia and the US. Dr. Lechat theorizes the difference might be due to air conditioning, more prevalent in the latter areas. Dr. Danny Eckert, senior researcher, further points out that as the study is skewed towards higher economic areas — where air conditioning is more readily available — the estimated health and financial impact might actually be an underestimate. Sleep apnea is characterized by breathing disruptions as you sleep. There is currently no cure for sleep apnea, although the symptoms can be managed. Untreated sleep apnea carries severe risks, including fatigue, a reduced quality of life and a higher danger of being involved in traffic accidents. Untreated and severe sleep apnea has also been linked to an increased risk of dementia and cardiovascular disease, as well as anxiety and depression. If higher global temperature cause cases of sleep apnea to rise, we might also see an increase in these comorbidities. 'The increase in OSA prevalence in 2023 due to global warming was associated with a loss of approximately 800,000 healthy life years across the 29 countries studied.," explains Dr. Lechat. The research team hopes this study will be the first step in developing strategies to reduce the impact of ambient temperature on sleep apnea. Sleep apnea symptoms can be hard to spot, as the most obvious signs of apnea occur when you're asleep. However, the symptoms listed below offer an indicator of sleep apnea that can help you seek a diagnosis. If you suspect you're experiencing sleep apnea, we recommend speaking to a healthcare professional. They can help you find a diagnosis and develop an effective sleep apnea treatment plan.
The Hindu
16-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Warmer climate could make sleep apnoea more severe, common, study finds
Sleep apnoea, a condition characterised by having trouble breathing properly while sleeping, could become more common and severe in a warmer future, a new study has found. Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder, estimated to affect about a billion worldwide. The condition occurs when muscles in the throat narrow the airways, impacting breathing and blood oxygen levels during sleep. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, show that one's chances of experiencing sleep apnoea could spike by 45 per cent on days with higher temperatures. The effect is projected to be stronger in European countries. However, chances of these effects in populations of countries with a lower gross domestic product per capita, including India, Israel and Brazil, are higher, the study found. Lead author Bastien Lechat from Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute Sleep Health, Australia, said the study helps "understand how environmental factors like climate might affect health by investigating whether ambient temperatures influence the severity of OSA." The study also projected that the burden, impacts, and costs of obstructive sleep apnoea could double by 2100, under a warming of 1.8 degrees Celsius in global ambient temperature above pre-industrial levels. In 2023, the increased prevalence of sleep apnoea due to global warming was "associated with a loss of over 780,000 healthy life years and 105 million workplace productivity days across 29 countries," the authors wrote. The authors quantified well-being and productivity burden due to sleep apnoea. The overall loss was found to be USD 98 billion, with a workplace productivity loss of USD 30 billion, and a well-being loss of USD 68 billion. Study highlights The study is the first of its kind outlining how global warming could be expected to affect breathing during sleep and impact the world's health, wellbeing and economy, Lechat added. Studies have related sleep apnoea with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and mental conditions, including anxiety, depression, dementia and Parkinson's disease. More than 500 nights of sleep data of 116,620 people from across 41 countries -- a total of about 62 million nights -- were analysed. Data was gathered using a sensor placed under the participants' mattresses. The researchers then compared this sleep data with detailed 24-hour temperature information sourced from climate models. "Globally, higher temperatures were associated with a 45 per cent higher probability of having OSA (obstructive sleep apnoea) on a given night," the authors wrote. Further, "scenarios with projected temperatures (of over) 1.8 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels would incur a further 1.2 to 3-fold increase in OSA burden by 2100," the study said. A 2023 study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, published in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews, estimated that 104 million Indians of working age suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea, of whom nearly 50 per cent have it in a moderate or severe form.
