Climate change, unequal access to healthcare and an increasingly connected work culture are disrupting sleep across Europe, prompting researchers to call for coordinated action by governments, employers and healthcare providers.
Sleep is essential for physical and mental health, allowing the body to repair tissue, remove waste products from the brain and consolidate memories. However, rising temperatures, digital technology and round-the-clock working practices are making it harder for many people to obtain sufficient, restorative rest.
A paper published in the Journal of Sleep Research argues that sleep problems cannot be addressed through individual lifestyle changes alone. The researchers say governments must tackle the wider social, economic and environmental conditions that affect people’s ability to sleep well.
“We’re seeing a perfect storm of challenges for sleep health across Europe,” said Fran Pilkington-Cheney, co-lead author of the paper and a lecturer in Psychology and Sleep at Nottingham Trent University.
She said many people understood the importance of sleep but were less aware of how climate change, technology, shift work, urban environments and misinformation were combining to affect sleep quality.
The paper identifies five major challenges: climate change and urban environments, unequal access to sleep medicine, the rapid growth of digital health technologies, online misinformation and a culture of constant connectivity.
Rising temperatures and unequal conditions
Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, and hotter nights are becoming a growing concern. High temperatures can prevent the body from cooling sufficiently, delaying sleep and increasing the likelihood of waking during the night.
Traffic noise, pollution and artificial light in urban areas add to the difficulties. Extreme weather events and anxiety about climate change can also affect mental health and sleep.
These problems do not affect everyone equally. People living in poorly insulated homes, overcrowded accommodation or properties without affordable cooling face greater challenges in maintaining comfortable sleeping conditions. Refugees and displaced people may also experience excessive heat, noise, artificial light and limited privacy.
Benefits and risks of sleep technology
Wearable devices and sleep-tracking applications can help users identify possible problems and allow clinicians to monitor patients remotely, particularly in rural areas with limited access to specialists.
However, consumer devices may not be accurate enough to diagnose sleep disorders, and their readings can create unnecessary anxiety. The paper highlights “orthosomnia”, a term describing an excessive preoccupation with achieving supposedly perfect sleep measurements.
Researchers also warn that social media trends such as “sleepmaxxing” can promote rigid routines, unproven remedies and excessive monitoring. Online influencers and artificial intelligence tools may spread misleading health advice, making it harder to distinguish scientific evidence from commercial promotion.
Workplace pressures
The researchers estimate that 21 per cent of workers across Europe engage in shift work, with night shifts particularly challenging for the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.
Healthcare staff, transport workers and people in insecure employment may have little control over their schedules. Remote working and after-hours messages can also blur the boundaries between professional responsibilities and personal time.
The authors call for stronger worker protections, predictable schedules, improved fatigue-management systems and workplace policies that safeguard time for rest.
“Without wider co-ordinated action, these pressures are likely to become more significant in the years ahead,” Pilkington-Cheney said.
