Climate Matters: Rising temperatures cost Mid-Missouri residents hours of sleep each year

Sufficient sleep is essential for our health and well-being, but hotter nighttime temperatures are making it increasingly difficult for people to get adequate rest.

In Columbia, residents lost nearly 34 hours of sleep annually from 2020 to 2025 due to high nighttime temperatures, according to a new analysis by Climate Central. Approximately 4 hours, or 11% of that annual sleep loss, is directly linked to warming caused by climate change.

This local impact reflects a broader global trend, as the amount of temperature-related sleep loss due to climate change has roughly doubled since 1970. Climate Central reports that global sleep loss rose from about 2 hours per year in the 1970-1975 period to approximately 5 hours annually in 2020-2025. Sleep is closely tied to the body's ability to cool itself, and higher nighttime temperatures interfere with this crucial cooling process.

Jay Levin, a registered sleep technician with certification in clinical sleep health at Boone Health, explained the biological mechanisms behind temperature regulation during sleep. “As the body gets ready to go to sleep, there's a part of the brain called the hypothalamus that acts as the internal thermostat for the body. It works to help us regulate our body temperatures,” Levin said.

Levin further noted that as people prepare for sleep, their body temperature naturally decreases. “When we start to get to sleep, we go into a thermodynamic aspect where our body temperature will decrease, at least by one to two degrees during sleep,” Levin stated.

External environmental factors, such as bedroom temperature, significantly influence this process. “And typically they really encourage, through the research articles, for temperatures to be around 60 to 70°F, with 68 kind of being that perfect spot,” Levin said. Research also indicates that temperatures exceeding 75 degrees Fahrenheit can negatively impact sleep quality.

“The research is there that temperatures more than 75°F will decrease the quality of sleep by 5 to 10%,” Levin explained. He added that sustained high temperatures can also lead to fragmented sleep. “As far as staying asleep, the higher temperatures above 75 degrees can start fragmenting sleep throughout the night.”

A range of individual factors can influence how people prefer to set their home temperatures. “There are external factors to how people want to keep their houses, whether it's age, their body mass index, whether they have iron deficiencies or are going through perimenopause or menopause. A lot of people will like to fluctuate that temperature a little bit,” Levin said.

Poor sleep has severe implications for overall health. “Excessive brain fog. What is called daytime somnolence is just the daytime fatigue or that tiredness throughout the day that people get. Memory impairments with poor sleep, or at increased risk for stroke and heart attack, high blood pressure and other factors,” Levin stated.

While air conditioning can offer some protection from hot nights, high temperatures can still reduce sleep quality and duration. Poor sleep has been linked to negative impacts on mood, cognitive performance and productivity, alongside cardiovascular and immune health issues.

Levin offered practical advice for improving sleep quality in warmer conditions. “We encourage very light, loose-fitting clothing to help the heat escape the body. A fan that creates circulation in the rooms to help cool it down throughout the night. Flipping that pillow when we get up can help regulate that temperature,” Levin advised. He also emphasized the importance of staying hydrated and preparing for bed in a cool, dimly lit room.

Levin says Boone Hospital's sleep lab focuses on promoting good sleep hygiene, which involves preparing for and concentrating on achieving optimal sleep every night. "It's how to prepare, how to focus on getting the best night of sleep again," Levin says. Boone Hospital's sleep lab, a four-bed facility, addresses a range of sleep issues including insomnia, sleep-disordered breathing and movements during sleep like periodic limb movements, restless legs, sleepwalking and sleep talking.