A tropical night brings only little nocturnal cooling and thus not only disturbs sleep, but is also a health risk. Tropical nights can also occur in Germany.
Tropical nights sound like a holiday in a tropical paradise, but they don’t have much in common: They make us toss and turn in bed at night, prevent us from cooling down and are a burden on our health. According to the German Weather Service, one speaks of a tropical night when the temperature does not drop below 20 degrees Celsius between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. (UTC).
Health hazard from tropical night
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / bogitw)
Many people find it difficult to sleep when it is hot. A tropical night in particular can prevent a restful sleep, because the room temperature should be below 20 degrees Celsius. The heat of a tropical night disturbs the human body’s normal heat regulation: The body temperature cannot drop effectively, which disturbs the natural sleep rhythm. The result is sleepless nights, increased night sweats and exhaustion and tiredness the next morning.
Especially people with pre-existing conditions and older people suffer physically from heat. For example, with age, regulation of body temperature slows down and the feeling of thirst becomes less frequent. As a result, older people are at risk of becoming dehydrated and overheating. Physically weak people are also more susceptible to heat-related symptoms such as circulatory failure.
Tropical nights can reinforce the link between high temperatures and declining health, including death. The reason is that on a tropical night there is no nocturnal cooling that would provide relief. Instead, the body is under constant stress, says Andreas Matzarakis, biometeorologist at the German Weather Service.
More tropical nights because of the climate crisis
Tropical nights were recorded in Germany in particular during the extreme “summer heat” in 2003, 2015 and 2018. According to the German Weather Service, the number of tropical nights in Germany, Switzerland and Austria has increased significantly in recent decades – a trend that will continue in the coming years due to global warming.
The Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS) of the Helmholtz Center Hereon has calculated that many districts in Germany could experience two to three tropical nights per year up to the middle of the century, while before 2000 there was often not a single tropical night.
Sleeping in tropical night
To find some peace and quiet even on a tropical night, you can use the tips from our guides:
- Sleeping in the heat: 12 mistakes and how to avoid them
- What to do when it’s hot 5 tips from Southern Europe
- Cooling the attic apartment: 7 tips for a hot summer
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- Tired from the heat: you can do that
- What to do on a hot day 5 leisure ideas in the heat
- Summer Recipes: Light dishes suitable for hot weather