Associations Between Self-Reported Sleep Disturbance and Environmental Noise Based on Reanalyses of Pooled Data From 24 Studies

Abstract

This study establishes functions that specify self-reported sleep disturbance in relation to the exposure to nighttime transportation noise, by reanalyzing pooled data from previous studies. Results are based on data from 28 original datasets obtained from 24 field studies (4 studies collected data regarding 2 sources) including almost 23,000 participants exposed to nighttime levels ranging from 45 to 65 dB. Functions are presented that give the percentage highly sleep disturbed, sleep disturbed, and (at least) a little sleep disturbed people due to aircraft, road traffic, and railway noise in relation to the average nighttime outdoor exposure level at the facade most exposed to the source concerned. These functions show that at the same average nighttime noise-exposure level, aircraft noise is associated with more self-reported sleep disturbance than road traffic, and road traffic noise is associated with more sleep disturbance than railways. The association of noise-induced sleep disturbance with age has an inverse U-shape, with the strongest reaction found between 50 and 56 years of age.

Joint effects of job strain and road-traffic and occupational noise on myocardial infarction

“…This suggests that the association in the full sample may have been diluted due to misclassification of total noise exposure from traffic. Although studies on railway noise and cardiovascular endpoints are lacking, adverse effects of railway noise, such as annoyance and sleep disturbance, are well-documented (55,56). Unfortunately, we lacked sufficient precision in the estimation of exposure to noise from railways, making it difficult to assess exposure-response relationships.…”

Effects of Traffic Noise on Sleep in an Urban Population

“…Urban noise is a major environmental problem, mainly due to intense road and air traffi c. Among the most important health effects of urban noise is sleep disturbance (1,2). Every third EU resident complains about sleep disturbed by night noise exceeding the level of 55 dB(A).…”

Aircraft Noise Exposure and Subjective Sleep Quality: The Results of the DEBATS Study in France

“…In the literature, different indicators have been used to describe the effects of aircraft noise on sleep quality (Finegold, 2010). Most studies have considered nighttime (Lnight) noise exposure (Jones & Rhodes, 2013;Miedema & Vos, 2007), but some studies have shown that exposure to daytime noise can disrupt sleep (Fruhstorfer, Fruhstorfer, & Grass, 1984) and reduce sleep duration (Blois, Debilly, & Mouret, 1980). In the present study, day-evening-night, day-and night-time exposures to aircraft noise were estimated at the place of residence of the participants.…”