The heat wave in Texas has offered little reprieve. Heat at night disrupts sleep and prevents the body from recovering and cooling down, making minimum temperatures a critical indicator of a heat wave's severity, experts said. Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said temperatures during this heat wave in the state have threatened records at both ends of the spectrum — including maximums and minimums — in its urban centers. Ebi said the high nighttime temperatures and the prolonged nature of the Texas heat wave are particularly concerning. "A very small percentage of death certificates during a heat wave put down, 'heat' as an underlying cause," Ebi, who studies heat deaths, adding that about half of excess deaths, on average, are from cardiovascular diseases.

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Persons: Del, Ben Zaitchik, John Nielsen, Gammon, We've, Kristie, Ebi, Everything's, Nielsen, We're Organizations: National Weather Service, Johns Hopkins University, Nielsen, Center for Health, Global, University of Washington Locations: Texas, Del Rio, San Antonio, Houston, Midland, San Angelo