Meteorologist Debunks ABC News’ ‘Absurd’ Claim Linking Climate Change To Sleep Apnea
Data does not show global heat waves or nighttime temperatures rising enough to disrupt human sleep.
by Anthony Watts July 07, 2025,
In a recent article titled “Climate change making it harder for us to sleep, study says,” ABC News claimed that climate change is now not just responsible for hurricanes, wildfires, and flooding—it’s also robbing us of our sleep. [emphasis, links added]
This evidence for this is at best scientifically flimsy and at worst flatly false.
Data does not show that heat waves or nighttime temperatures are increasing globally in a way that would significantly disrupt human sleep patterns.
“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 lead author of the study that ABC News based its story on, told the news service.
https://climatechangedispatch.com/climate-change-temperatures-sleep-apnea/
