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Can't Sleep Due to the Heat? These Tips Can Really Make a Difference Tonight

La canicule s’est abattue sur la France, avec des températures approchant les 40 °C. Par une telle chaleur, trouver le sommeil peut se révéler extrêmement difficile. Les explications de Ron Grunstein, professeur à l'Université de Sydney.

Can't Sleep Due to the Heat? These Tips Can Really Make a Difference Tonight

Can't Sleep Due to the Heat? These Tips Can Really Make a Difference Tonight

The heatwave has hit France, with temperatures approaching 40°C. In such heat, falling asleep can be extremely difficult. Insights from Ron Grunstein, a professor at the University of Sydney.

When a heatwave strikes France, and temperatures exceed 30°C without ever cooling down, even at night, finding sleep can become extremely challenging. Sleep and body temperature regulation are closely linked. The body's temperature follows a 24-hour cycle related to the rhythm of sleep and wakefulness. In theory, the body cools down during sleep and warms up when awake. Sleep comes more easily when the body temperature decreases, and it struggles to establish itself when it rises.

Rebalancing Disrupted Sleep Cycles

Our hands and feet play a key role in aiding sleep. They allow the heated blood from the body's core to cool down through contact with the external environment. The sleep hormone, known as melatonin, also significantly contributes to this complex heat loss through the body's peripheral parts. At the beginning of the night, the body temperature decreases, but the peripheral skin temperature increases. These variations then become more complex throughout the night, as our temperature self-regulation varies according to the stage of sleep. Research has shown how external heat can disrupt this delicate balance between sleep and body temperature. The ideal ambient temperature is 22 or 23°C. Any significant deviation from this reference leads to sleep disturbances: slow-wave sleep, during which the brain's electrical activity slows down and the brain

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