The physical consequences of a disaster are more prominent than the emotional effects. Health effects in changing climatic conditions such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, injuries and deaths related to extreme weather events, food and waterborne diseases and other infectious diseases (dengue, malaria) are widely reported. However, sleep disturbances as an indirect effect of climate change are still understated not only in global media but also locally in developing countries. Sleep plays an important role in maintaining good health and many of our somatic, cognitive and psychological processes are dependent on sleep duration, therefore insufficient either longer and shorter duration of sleep is a threat to our better survival. Too little and too much sleep have an enormous effect on our health especially on non-communicable diseases such as mental, cardiovascular, cerebro-vascular and immune system. Bangladesh is now facing a double burden of disease and sleep disturbance could accelerate this burden even more when injuries and deaths related to extreme weather event occur in countries like Bangladesh. A recent study conducted among rural populations in 8 low-income countries of Asia and Africa including Bangladesh reported that 150 million people (approximately 17% of the total) having sleep problems. Bangladesh topped as the highest prevalence in sleep problems followed by Vietnam and South Africa.
Sleep disturbances among the people living in disaster-prone areas could be an emerging issue but less addressed on the grounds of climate change impacts on human health. In a cross-sectional survey among 3022 adult inhabitants from 960 households of 24 upazilas across Bangladesh, we explored if the adults including those living in disaster-prone areas are more exposed to sleep disturbances than the adults in non-disaster-prone areas. We captured the sleep pattern among the young, middle and older adults and analysed self-reported sleep duration data (last in 24 hours on the day of interview). We used Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guideline on recommended sleep hours by different age groups to categorise sleep duration into 3 groups: low (<7 hours), standard (7-8 hours) and high (>8 hours).
In results, we found that more women (57%) had short sleep than men (43%). This would mean that this large number of women are more vulnerable to suffer their memory, immunity and risks their overall quality of life. Research suggested that chronic short sleep deprivation is associated with an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, mental disorders, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. It is evident that women are more vulnerable than men in any disaster. In our informal discussion, we found that most of the respondents including both men and women in Batiaghata upazila perceived that women were more vulnerable than men in any natural disaster (pre, during and post) with varying reasons that included: spent much time at home and didn't leave home until they were hit by natural hazards; physical inability to move faster to safer places; more protective towards children, other dependent family members, and household belongings; managed cooking, collected fuel and drinking water even from distant places. Besides, sanitation had been the most awful for the women due to lack of privacy. Respondents living in flood and cyclone-affected areas reported their concern about losing livelihoods and properties due to natural hazards such as flood, storms and river bank erosion. Some of them were found worried about a certain future due to recurrent disasters. These are the common social and emotional reactions to natural hazards found among the study participants. Therefore, it could easily be depicted that women remain stressed in the disaster-prone areas and they sleep shorter time which may lead them towards vulnerable to chronic diseases.
Sleep problems among the adults vary from region to region. The sleep disturbances were prevalent among the older adults compared to the middle-aged and younger adults. In dry region particularly in the northwest of Bangladesh, the higher proportion of young adults (52%) and middle-aged (38%) had standard sleep than the older adults (11%). Alarmingly, rest of them are suffering from sleep disturbances. It would mean that this large proportion of population living in the disaster-prone areas is vulnerable towards developing chronic diseases in near future. This finding corroborates with other research conducted by Stranges et al in low-income settings of Asia and Africa emphasising sleep disorders among the older adults as an emerging public health issue. In disaster-prone districts such as Satkhira, Sirajganj, the middle aged (32%) and older adults (11%) were less likely to have standard hour sleep than those (middle aged: 35%; older adults 17%) of non-disaster-prone areas. The prevalence of sleep problems was found among the ultra-poor compared to the poor and non-poor groups. Having reported the evidences on sleep disturbances among the adults in various angles, such less recognised but emerging public health issue demands more attention on the grounds of climate change and impacts on health.
Authors are the researchers from Research and Evaluation Division (RED), BRAC Centre
Sleep disturbances in disaster-prone areas: A public health problem
Tahera Akter, Fatema Tuz Jhohura, Fakir Md Yunus and Mahfuzar Rahman | Published: May 23, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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