Time-varying associations of temperature and sleep as a marker of heat adaptation: A case study of Spanish outdoor workers over one summer of continuous monitoring
Abstract
Rising global temperatures are increasingly recognized as a threat to sleep health. Outdoor workers, who often endure prolonged exposure to outdoor heat, may also be impacted by indoor nighttime temperatures. However, few studies have examined both exposures in this population, and, little is known about potential adaptation to heat in relation to sleep outcomes. Methods We conducted an intensive longitudinal study with 13 Spanish outdoor workers over a 3-month summer period, during which sleep outcomes (i.e., total sleep time [TST], sleep efficiency [SE], and subjective sleep quality) were measured daily via an activity monitor and ecological momentary assessments. Temperatures were monitored both indoors and outdoors, using bedroom sensors and weather station data. Linear mixed-effects models were used to quantify the daily associations between heat and sleep. Results Across the whole summer, each 1 °C increase in outdoor and indoor temperature led respectively to decreases of 2.13 (95% CI: −3.84, −0.42) and 3.18 (95% CI: −5.67, −0.70) minutes in total sleep time (TST); 0.09 (95% CI: −0.17, −0.01) and 0.18 (95% CI: −0.30, −0.07) percentage points in sleep efficiency (SE); and 0.09 (95% CI: −0.14, −0.04) and 0.17 (95% CI: −0.24, −0.09) points in subjective sleep quality. Time-varying analyses revealed that the adverse effects of heat on subjective sleep quality were attenuated in August compared with June and July for similar temperatures. Discussion We found that both indoor and outdoor temperatures were associated with poorer sleep outcomes during the whole summer, along with preliminary evidence of reduced heat-related effects on subjective sleep quality later in the summer.
Related
- A Ca²⁺ level-independent component of recovery from sensory adaptation supports continuous vesicle supply at cochlear hair cell ribbon synapses
- Premature Ventricular Contractions at Extreme Altitude: Continuous Electrocardiographic Monitoring on Mount Everest.
- Continuous monitoring of deficit irrigation in avocado across two contrasting rainfall years using sensor networks, telemetry, and machine learning
- Codon usage bias maps ocean microbiome adaptation to temperature-nutrients regimes
- Physiological mechanisms of drought and high temperature adaptation in Lens species: A review
BibTeX
@article{montanari2026timevarying,
title = {{Time-varying associations of temperature and sleep as a marker of heat adaptation: A case study of Spanish outdoor workers over one summer of continuous monitoring}},
author = {Andrea Montanari and Constanza Vielma and Joan Ballester and Xavier Basagaña and Tarik Benmarhnia and Basile Chaix and Guillaume Chevance},
journal = {The Journal of Climate Change and Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.joclim.2026.100747},
url = {https://ehesp.hal.science/hal-05842337v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Time-varying associations of temperature and sleep as a marker of heat adaptation: A case study of Spanish outdoor workers over one summer of continuous monitoring
AU - Andrea Montanari
AU - Constanza Vielma
AU - Joan Ballester
AU - Xavier Basagaña
AU - Tarik Benmarhnia
AU - Basile Chaix
AU - Guillaume Chevance
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/17
JO - The Journal of Climate Change and Health
DO - 10.1016/j.joclim.2026.100747
UR - https://ehesp.hal.science/hal-05842337v1
AB - Rising global temperatures are increasingly recognized as a threat to sleep health. Outdoor workers, who often endure prolonged exposure to outdoor heat, may also be impacted by indoor nighttime temperatures. However, few studies have examined both exposures in this population, and, little is known about potential adaptation to heat in relation to sleep outcomes. Methods We conducted an intensive longitudinal study with 13 Spanish outdoor workers over a 3-month summer period, during which sleep outcomes (i.e., total sleep time [TST], sleep efficiency [SE], and subjective sleep quality) were measured daily via an activity monitor and ecological momentary assessments. Temperatures were monitored both indoors and outdoors, using bedroom sensors and weather station data. Linear mixed-effects models were used to quantify the daily associations between heat and sleep. Results Across the whole summer, each 1 °C increase in outdoor and indoor temperature led respectively to decreases of 2.13 (95% CI: −3.84, −0.42) and 3.18 (95% CI: −5.67, −0.70) minutes in total sleep time (TST); 0.09 (95% CI: −0.17, −0.01) and 0.18 (95% CI: −0.30, −0.07) percentage points in sleep efficiency (SE); and 0.09 (95% CI: −0.14, −0.04) and 0.17 (95% CI: −0.24, −0.09) points in subjective sleep quality. Time-varying analyses revealed that the adverse effects of heat on subjective sleep quality were attenuated in August compared with June and July for similar temperatures. Discussion We found that both indoor and outdoor temperatures were associated with poorer sleep outcomes during the whole summer, along with preliminary evidence of reduced heat-related effects on subjective sleep quality later in the summer.
SN - 2667-2782
ER -