A novel study, featuring contributions from Irish researchers, has revealed that sleep patterns are likely to be influenced by the shift in seasons and drastic changes in extreme weather conditions. The research indicated that sweltering, humid days notably decrease sleep efficiency, duration, and quality while chillier temperatures, high snow cover, and rainfall are observed to enhance sleep quality.
The investigation was conducted by Queen’s University Belfast, in partnership with scholars from Swansea University and the Czech University of Life Sciences, and was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences on Wednesday.
The longest and most comprehensive analysis of sleep patterns in wild animals to date, the study assessed the slumber habits of approximately 30 wild boars in two Czech Republic locations over a span of three years.
The scientists involved in the study anticipate that their findings will provide vital information on human sleep patterns, helping to improve sleep and thereby enhancing quality of life. The study unveiled marked disparities at an individual level. Individuals that sleep less, known as short-sleepers, tend to sleep up to 46 per cent less than their counterparts (long-sleepers), yet show no compensatory increase in sleep quality, suggesting they could be at risk of higher long-term sleep deprivation costs.
Expressing her thoughts on the significance of sleep in maintaining overall health, Dr Isabella Capellini, a reader at Queen’s University Belfast’s school of biological sciences, expressed concern that global warming, and subsequent rise in extreme climatic events, could potentially have a detrimental effect on sleep quality. This, in turn, may adversely affect the health of wildlife, notably nocturnal creatures, as well as potentially humans.
Research indicates that sleep is critical for vital physiological functions and for maintaining a balanced mind and body, in both humans and animals, offering a time for recovery and recharge. Individuals who tend to sleep less than average are observed to be more predisposed to neurological disorders later in life, emphasising the long-term costs of short sleep durations.
Commenting on the findings, Dr Capellini raises questions about whether those with inadequate and poor sleep could be paying a higher cost during adverse environmental conditions. This concern comes in light of the difficulty in understanding the variations in sleep observed amongst human populations who live in highly artificial surroundings which may disrupt sleep.