Hot nights due to climate change could increase death rate up to 60 per cent across world, study warns

Rising night-time temperatures could lead to immune system damage and higher heart disease risk

The risk of death from excessively hot nights could increase nearly six-fold by the end of the century, according to a new study that explains how rising night-time temperatures due to climate change may disrupt the human body’s physiology.

Scientists, including those from the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill in the US, say disruption of sleep in people across the world brought on by climate change could lead to immune system damage and a higher risk of heart disease, chronic illnesses, inflammation, and mental health conditions.

The study, published last week in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health, found that the average intensity of hot night events would nearly double by 2090, from 20.4C (68.7F) to 39.7C (103.5F) across 28 cities.