How Heat Waves Are Messing Up Your Sleep

There are hot summer nights. We become restless when the temperature doesn't fall below 20 degrees Celsius at night in Europe and North America. It sounds familiar?

The link between the body's temperature regulation and the amount of sleep is the main reason for this. Our internal temperature usually goes down at night to make us sleepy. The hands and feet have large surface areas and specialized blood vessels that allow the transfer of heat from the core of the body to them. melatonin is a hormone that is produced in the brain when it is dark. The blood vessels in the hands and feet are widened to allow the body to rid itself of heat quicker.

If the temperature doesn't change things up. The ideal bedroom temperature for adults is between 15 and 19 degrees Celsius, depending on the person, and the body has to work harder to regulate its own temperature when this isn't achieved. Our ability to regulate our body temperature is affected if the room temperature doesn't fall enough after a hot day. The hot air can make it hard to fall asleep.

Awake, light, deep, and rapid-eye movement sleep are the four stages of sleep that our brain goes through.

It's important to get deep sleep. The brain uses this time to form and consolidate memories during this stage. We feel refreshed when we sleep in the sleep stage. It is sensitive to temperatures.

Christine Blume is a sleep scientist at the University of Basel in Switzerland. She explains that when our temperature is too warm, we don't get into the deep sleep phase. She says that if deep sleep is missing, then we don't have rest.

In a hot room, the fourth stage of sleep could be disrupted. A 2020 study shows that higher bedroom temperature is associated with a shorter REM sleep time. The sleep cycle has to restart when REM sleep is interrupted. REM sleep is thought to play a role in memory formation, learning new motor skills, and regulating emotions.

A lack of sleep can affect your mental state and make you angry, according to an associate professor of biochemical medicine. Short-term effects of a heat wave include cognitive function, impaired performance and judgment, and mood changes. She says that people who plan to drive or work in high-pressure occupations should be aware of the effects.