“Very unpleasant” nights, trying for organisms: the heat wave, which strikes almost all of France and which intensifies, often damages sleep, a phenomenon harmful to health if it is repeated. With the episode of heat wave stricto sensu, “we are going to have at least four days when the temperature does not drop at night. And therefore, the effects, we will start to see them,” Agnès Ricard-Hibon, an emergency doctor in Val-d’Oise and spokesperson for the Samu Emergencies de France on Tuesday.
Already Sunday and Monday, where the thermometer posted 35 ° C in many parts of the country, were synonymous with “very unpleasant” nights with a mercury not descending under the 20 degrees, according to Tristan AMM, forecastist at Météo-France. The brain, where neurons regulating temperature and sleep are very connected, is indeed very sensitive to heat, which increases the central and active thermostat of stress systems. When it is very hot, the dilation of the blood vessels at the skin is less effective, the loss of less heat, and the complicated falling asleep, recall sleep specialists. High night temperatures also increase awakenings and in particular reduce deep sleep, considered to be the most regenerative.
“While attention is generally paid to maximum daytime temperatures, it is the night temperature that will run the greatest risk for health, especially for vulnerable populations”, according to the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (OMM). With these tropical nights, “the body cannot recover from a strong continuous heat. This leads to an increase in heart attacks and deaths”, underlines the organization.
