全球夜间升温与热浪频率上升，被归因于气候变迁，并被连结到睡眠时间缩短与作息规律性下降。南澳州阿德雷德在1月下旬出现创纪录高温夜间，接近上午7点仍达34.1°C（约93°F）。研究团队提出，睡眠流失与睡眠品质下降可能是高温下住院风险上升（心血管与精神健康等）的中介因素之一。阻塞型睡眠呼吸中止（sleep apnea）在夜间可出现数十至数百次呼吸暂停，并与高血压、糖尿病、心脏病、失智与道路事故风险增加相关；全球受影响人数估计约10亿，且大量个案未被诊断。

以大样本实测资料与情境推估为核心，定量结果呈现「温度越高、事件越多」的近似线性趋势。一项在17个欧洲国家向67,558人发放床垫下感测器、连续追踪5个夏季的研究指出：热浪高峰期睡眠呼吸中止事件盛行率上升13%；夜间温度每增加1°C，事件率上升1.1%，且在高湿夜晚风险更高。若至2100年全球均温相对工业化前上升2.1–3.4°C，研究推估睡眠呼吸中止事件盛行率可上升1.2倍至3倍，且低收入、缺乏空调者的负担更重；一项美国研究并显示，高温对睡眠时长的影响在Hispanic族群中高出10%–70%。另有中国研究以313座城市、51,842人、3年智慧手表资料估计：日均温每上升10°C，睡眠呼吸中止事件增加8.4%。

机制层面同时指向睡眠结构与呼吸生理：高温削弱夜间散热，使睡眠更浅、更碎裂，而事件更常发生于浅睡期；高温亦可能改变行为（酒精增加、饮食变差、活动下降），并透过呼吸控制不稳、体液滞留与脱水使上气道更易塌陷（Lucia Pinilla）。城市污染被视为叠加风险：PM2.5（直径<2.5微米）与二氧化氮（nitrogen dioxide）暴露可提高发生机率并恶化既有症状（Martino Pengo）。可操作的风险缓解被量化到门槛与易感族群：Martha Billings建议在空气品质指数AQI>200时考虑室内过滤；在高温夜晚，超重或肥胖者更易出现更严重事件，且男性因颈部脂肪分布与较可塌陷上气道而风险更高。研究团队并提出以热浪预警、个人化建议、降温床垫与就寝前补水等介入作为后续验证方向（Bastien Lechat）。

Rising nighttime temperatures linked to climate change are associated with shorter sleep and reduced sleep regularity, and are expected to raise sleep-apnea burden. In late January, Adelaide in South Australia recorded its hottest night on record, with 34.1°C (about 93°F) still measured just before 7 am. Researchers argue that sleep loss and poorer sleep quality may partially mediate the well-documented increases in heat-related hospitalizations (from cardiovascular to mental health conditions). Obstructive sleep apnea involves dozens to hundreds of breathing interruptions per night and is linked to hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, dementia, and road-accident risk; it is estimated to affect about 1 billion people worldwide, many undiagnosed.

Multiple datasets quantify a monotonic temperature–event relationship that is close to linear over observed ranges. A study using under-mattress sensors in 67,558 people across 17 European countries over five summers found sleep-apnea-event prevalence rose 13% at the peak of a heatwave; for each 1°C increase in nighttime temperature, event rates rose 1.1%, with higher risk on especially humid nights. With global mean temperature projected to reach 2.1–3.4°C above preindustrial levels by 2100, modeling predicts a 1.2- to threefold increase in sleep-apnea-event prevalence, with disproportionate impact in low-income groups lacking air conditioning; a US study reported heat-related sleep-duration effects were 10%–70% greater among Hispanic populations. In China, smartwatch data from 51,842 people across 313 cities over three years associated each 10°C increase in daily temperature with an 8.4% increase in sleep apnea events.

Mechanisms span sleep architecture and respiratory physiology: heat impairs nocturnal cooling, producing lighter, more fragmented sleep in which apnea events are more likely; it may also shift behaviors (more alcohol, poorer diet, less activity) and destabilize breathing control, increase fluid retention, and promote dehydration that makes the upper airway more collapsible (Lucia Pinilla). Urban air pollution is an additional modifier: exposure to PM2.5 (particles <2.5 micrometers) and nitrogen dioxide can increase risk and worsen symptoms by irritating and inflaming airway tissues (Martino Pengo). Mitigation is framed with thresholds and susceptibility: Martha Billings highlights indoor air filtration when air quality index exceeds 200; weight loss may reduce heat-related severity, because overweight/obesity increases vulnerability and higher fat mass retains heat and dissipates it less efficiently, while men are at higher baseline risk due to neck fat patterns and a longer, more collapsible airway. The proposed response is personalized heat-warning and behavioral/cooling interventions (e.g., cooling mattress toppers and bedtime hydration) to test prevention of heat-linked events (Bastien Lechat).