This summer has felt like a constant stream of record setting heat waves for people throughout the world. Hot days followed by hot nights has been the theme of the past few months. The entire globe experienced its third hottest June of all time in 2022, and Atlanta experienced some record-setting days as well.
While everyone knows how unpleasant it is to be outside on one of those exceptionally hot days, few know about the lasting effects of that heat even after people are back in the AC.
Extreme heat strongly affects people’s sleep, even if they are away from the heat when they go to bed. Internal body temperatures play a large role in the ability to fall and stay asleep.
In general, humidity causes people to wake up throughout the night, never truly reaching the REM sleep our bodies craves. REM, or rapid eye movement, sleep is one of the most critical times for the brain, and is important for memory and learning capacity.
Body temperature also has a significant effect on the body’s circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are the physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow the body’s 24-hour cycle, and they can be impacted by changes to body temperature. A significant change in body temperature throughout the day can lead circadian rhythms to occur outside of their typical time.
Another factor that leads to sleep disruption is how the body prepares for sleep. As the day turns to night, the body will slowly make changes to cool down the body. That reduction in internal body temperature leads to drowsiness, and, consequently, to sleep. Because the hottest part of the day often occurs in the hours before people begin to wind down for bed, the internal cooling of the body will be delayed when temperatures are especially hot.
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