Fig. 3: Projected wellbeing burden of warming-related increase in moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) prevalence.

Wellbeing burden of warming-related increase in moderate-to-severe OSA prevalence is exemplified for the UK (a–c and d) and globally (e–g). a Historical and projected temperatures for different climate scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were used to (b) derive the number of additional person-days with OSA due to temperature increases, which were subsequently used to calculate (c) years lived with disability (YLD) and (d) years of life lost (YLL). Baseline temperatures were based on the historical 1950-1990 data. The wellbeing and economic impact of the estimated temperature-related increase in OSA by 2100 for different climate scenarios from the IPCC were calculated for (e) YLL, (f) YLD, and (g) wellbeing economic cost, expressed as rate per 100,000 persons per year. The white line-marker represents current rates (as of 2023) of YLL, YLD, and economic cost. Shaded area in the YLD graph represents the yearly wellbeing burden associated with OSA based on Australian estimates²². USD US dollars, SSP Shared Socioeconomic Pathway. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.