Analysis of the Relationship Between Temperature and Insomnia Based on Social Media Text

Sleep represents one of the primary mechanisms through which global warming impacts mental health. Current research on temperature and insomnia lacks a comprehensive big data perspective. This study aims to address this gap by examining the relationship between daytime and nighttime temperatures and insomnia-related posts on China’s largest social media platform, Sina Weibo. One preliminary study and two preregistered studies were conducted, with the preliminary study focusing on the insomnia-related classification model, and Studies 1 and 2 investigated spatial and temporal changes in temperature predicting insomnia, respectively. In Study 1, Weibo data from 31 provinces in China were analyzed, revealing a higher insomnia index in areas with higher nighttime temperatures. However, daytime temperature did not significantly predict insomnia. In Study 2, Weibo data from Beijing, China over six months were examined. Both daytime and nighttime temperatures were found to significantly and positively predict the number of insomnia-related posts. These findings suggest that climate change, characterized by global warming, may contribute to the worsening of insomnia in the general public. Notably, high nighttime temperatures emerge as a crucial factor hindering people from falling asleep.