Environmental noise, sleep and health

doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2006.09.001

Sleep Medicine Reviews

Volume 11, Issue 2, April 2007, Pages 135-142

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2006.09.001 Get rights and content

Summary

Unlike other physical ambient factors (i.e. electromagnetic fields or air pollutants), noise is perceived by a specific system (auditory system) in humans. It is therefore a phenomenon that is sensed and evaluated by everybody, and this is why exposure to noise is one of the most, if not the most, frequent complaints of populations living in large cities. In these areas and their surroundings, the sources of noise most frequently cited are traffic, followed by neighbourhood noises and aircraft noises. Sleep is a physiological state that needs its integrity to allow the living organism to recuperate normally. It seems to be sensitive to environmental factors that can interrupt it or reduce its amount. Ambient noise, for example, is external stimuli that are still processed by the sleeper sensory functions, despite a non-conscious perception of their presence. Over the past 30 years, research into environmental noise and sleep has focused on different situations and environments, and therefore the findings are variable. However, it still seems necessary for some fundamental questions to be answered on whether environmental noise has long-term detrimental effects on health and quality of life and, if so, what these effects are for night-time, noise-exposed populations.

Section snippets

Sound and noise

Sound is produced by any mechanical movement and is propagated as a motion wave through the air or any other material. Therefore, sound is defined by its mechanical energy and is measured in energy-related units. Sound pressure proportional to the square of sound intensity (W/m²) is expressed in Pascal units (Pa), whereas sound pressure level is expressed in decibel units (dB) on a logarithmic scale, owing to the wide range covered.

Sound evokes physiological signals in the auditory system

Noise in the environment

Noise is a phenomenon that affects everybody. We are constantly exposed to noise during our everyday life. Within our environment, there are different sources of noise, but they generally depend on our activity, location, and the time of day.

Transportation noise represents a large majority of external noise affecting people in large cities and their surroundings. Road traffic noise is mostly noise generated by the engine of the vehicle, but noise produced by frictional contact between the

Sleep disturbance due to noise

Sleep disturbance is part of the extra-auditory effects of noise (Fig. 1). The input to the auditory area of the brain through the auditory pathways is prolonged by inputs reaching both the brain cortical area and the descending pathways of the autonomic functions. Thus, the sleeping body still responds to stimuli coming from the environment, although the noise sensitivity of the sleeper depends on several factors. Some of these factors are noise dependent, such as the type of noise (e.g.

Secondary effects of the sleep disturbance due to noise

The secondary effects of night-time noise exposure can be separated into subjective reports of sleep disturbances and objective effects on daytime functioning.

Physiological sensitivity to noise

The noise physiological sensitivity depends also on the age of the sleeper. Although electroencephalogram (EEG) modifications and awakening thresholds are, on average, 10 dB(A) higher in children than in adults, their cardiovascular sensitivity to noise is similar to, if not higher than, older people.²¹ Elderly people complain much more than younger adults about environmental noise. However, their spontaneous awakenings during sleep are also much more numerous. Therefore, it is difficult to

Possible health effects of noise-disturbed sleep

From a public health perspective, it is necessary to be able to link sleep disturbance from noise exposure with long-term health effects. Of course, these effects depend on the magnitude and the repetition of sleep disturbance. To be awakened when engaged in a quiet and comfortable universe full of sweet dreams is, per se, a real aggression that only few sleepers may appreciate. However, it is much more through the reduction of daytime quality of life that sleep disturbance can be evaluated.

Conclusion

Sleep is a physiological state that needs its integrity to allow for normal recuperation of the living organism. Its reduction or disruption is detrimental in the long term, as chronic partial sleep deprivation induces marked tiredness, increases low vigilance state and reduces daytime performance and quality of life. Sleep seems to be fairly sensitive to environmental factors, and, specifically, to ambient noise, as external stimuli are still processed by the sleeper sensory functions, despite

References (37)

E. Öhrström et al.
Sleep disturbances from road traffic and ventilation noise – laboratory and field experiments
J Sound Vib
(2004)
N.L. Carter
Transportation noise, sleep, and possible after-effects
Environ Int
(1996)
Gualezzi JP. Le bruit dans la ville, Rapport au Conseil Economique et Social, Les Editions des Journaux Officiels,...
Moch A. La sourde oreille. Grandir dans le bruit, Collection Epoque, Privat, Toulouse,...
INSEE. Mesurer la qualité de vie dans les grandes agglomérations, INSEE Première, no 868,...
Lambert J, Vallet M. Rapport préparatoire à la Commission Européenne sur le bruit de l’environnement, INRETS-LEN...
Öhrström E, Research on noise since 1988: present state: In: Vallet M, editor. Proceedings of Noise and Man, ICBEN,...
A. Muzet
Réactivité de l’Homme endormi
I. Oswald et al.
Discriminative responses to stimulation during human sleep
Brain
(1960)
* Noise and Health, WHO, Local authorities. Health and Environment, number 36,...

P. Naitoh et al.

Effects of noise and elevated temperature on sleep cycle

Sleep Res

(1975)

Muzet A, Ehrhart J. Habituation of heart rate and finger pulse responses to noise during sleep. In: Tobias JV, editor....

M. Vallet et al.

Heart rate reactivity to aircraft noise after a long term exposure

Passchier-Vermeer W. Night-time noise events and awakening. TNO report 2003-32, Delft, The Netherlands...

Porter ND, Kershaw AD, Ollerhead JB. Adverse effects of night-time aircraft noise. Report number 9964, National Air...

Fields JM. The relative effect of noise at different times of the day. Report number CR-3965, NASA Langley Research...

Maschke C. Noise-induced sleep disturbance, stress reactions and health effects: In: Prasher D, Luxon L, editors....

C. Maschke et al.

Stress hormone changes in persons exposed to simulated night noise

Noise Health

(2002)

Cited by (662)

A physics-based PSO-BPNN model for civil aircraft noise assessment
2024, Applied Acoustics
With the increasingly severe problem of aircraft noise pollution around airports, it is urgent to explore accurate and effective aircraft noise assessment methods. This article proposes a physics-based PSO-BPNN model based on the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) best practice model, backpropagation neural network (BPNN), and particle swarm optimization (PSO) to enrich the methodology system of aircraft noise assessment. The primary modeling process is as follows. Firstly, based on airport parameters, flight information, and other data, the theoretical noise levels of ground monitoring point are calculated using the ECAC dynamic model. Then, a dataset containing measured noise values, theoretical noise values, trajectory data, and meteorological data is constructed to train the physics-based BPNN model, in order to correct the theoretical noise level. Finally, the PSO algorithm is introduced to optimize the parameters of the BPNN model and the construction of the physics-based PSO-BPNN model is completed. By taking Hefei Xinqiao International Airport (HFE) as a research case, the experimental results show that the physics-based PSO-BPNN model, which combines best practice model and machine learning model, demonstrates better performance than the ECAC model and physics-based BPNN model because of its balance between stability and flexibility. In the validation set, the error of 74.77 % of the predicted results was within ±3 dB(A), and the coefficient of determination R² between all predicted values and measured values reached 0.9450, which indicates the physics-based PSO-BPNN model a potential aircraft noise assessment solution.
Residential greenspace exposure, particularly green window-views, is associated with improved sleep quality among older adults: Evidence from a high-density city
2024, Building and Environment
Preliminary evidence suggests a potential link between greenspace exposure and better sleep quality. Here we aimed to investigate the specific associations between residential greenspace exposure, green-window views, and sleep quality among older adults and determine whether these associations were mediated through mitigation (i.e., perceived noise annoyance, air pollution, and artificial light pollution) and restoration (i.e., psychological stress) pathways. A total of 1007 older adults with an average age >70 years were recruited from 40 residential communities in the Old City District of Nanjing, China. We developed a set of fine-grained greenspace exposure indices based on 3D point cloud data derived from unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry, incorporating vegetation coverage and green volume ratio at the community level and green window ratio at the individual level. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. We examined the complex interrelationships between residential greenspace exposure, environmental stressors (air pollution, artificial light pollution, and noise), perceived mental stress, and sleep quality using multilevel linear regression models. The results suggested the following: (1) Vegetation coverage, green volume ratio, and green window ratio were significantly associated with sleep quality in older adults. (2) The green window ratio was more strongly associated with improved sleep quality than other greenspace exposure metrics. (3) These associations may be partially explained by noise mitigation and mental stress reduction. In conclusion, it seems advantageous to consider immediate residential greenspace, particularly through green-window views, as part of the interventions aimed at supporting sleep quality improvement among older adults.
The challenge of noise pollution in high-density urban areas: Relationship between 2D/3D urban morphology and noise perception
2024, Building and Environment
Urban morphology is closely intertwined with people's perception of noise, understanding their relationship is crucial for resident health. Previous studies have primarily focused on actual environmental noise, neglecting variations in how people perceive noise in different urban environments. More study is needed to elucidate how noise perception varies across different types of noise and urban areas. This study, based on noise complaint data, quantifies the perceived noise environment in New York City. It establishes a framework for urban morphology measurement from both 2D and 3D perspectives and employs regression models to explore the correlation between urban morphology and the perception of distinct noise types, as well as regional disparities in noise perception. Findings indicate that:(1) Three-dimensional urban morphology indices, such as tree shape, Google view images (GVI) building index, provide a better explanation of noise perception than 2D indices. (2) The impact of urban morphology on the noise perception exhibits significant regional variations. In densely populated Manhattan, diverse building morphology can better enhance the quality of the perceived acoustic environment. However, this conclusion does not hold true in other regions. (3) Urban morphology also has distinct effects on different types of noise complaints. For instance, residential complaints are most strongly correlated with building height compared with other complaint types. Last, by considering the collaborative effects of various variables, specific recommendations are proposed for local areas with similar impact profiles. This study can serve as a reference for the construction of noise-friendly high-density cities and the promotion of sustainable urban health.
Research in action -tourism and its impacts on the environmental soundscape- A community-initiated pilot study
2024, Environmental Impact Assessment Review
In this study we conducted a spatial and temporal environmental noise assessment of an urban downtown, and a residential island community in Portland, Maine to analyze the differences between the winter tourism off-season and the summer tourism on-season. We collected 320 5-min samples of 1-s data, repeated equally across 40 measurement sites, during daytime and nighttime, weekdays, and weekends, and during the off-season and on-season. Changes in transportation use, and population density are known to influence sound levels, but few studies have looked at how fluctuations in seasonal tourism can influence the soundscape. We mapped the acoustical environment at each time interval and use linear mixed-effects models to estimate the differences in sound levels due to tourism. Overall, summer tourism was significantly associated with higher A-weighted sound levels on Peaks Island, Maine. In Downtown Portland, Maine there is evidence of increased sound levels concentrated in the busy Old Port area, but no significant changes throughout the rest of the study area, suggesting that the acoustical environment of Downtown Portland is dominated by transportation noise, that does not change by season. These results emphasize the importance of smart tourism practices, especially in quieter residential areas with a large draw for seasonal tourism.
Associations between neighborhood environments and health status among Chinese older people during the pandemic: Exploring mediation effects of physical activity
2024, Journal of Transport and Health
Improving neighborhood environments for healthy aging has attracted much attention. However, few studies have investigated the associations between multi-dimensional neighborhood environments and different aspects of older adults’ health, and have paid attention to the mediation effects of various physical activities, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia.
Applying structural equation models to Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) data in 2021, we investigated how neighborhood natural, built, and social environments are associated with older adults’ physical, mental, and social health, focusing on the mediation effect of physical activity.
For older adults’ physical and mental health, all neighborhood environmental dimensions had direct and positive effects, and the built environmental dimension was most important. For their social health, the social environment had a direct and positive effect. Regarding the indirect effect, the built environment was positively related to physical and mental health by increasing walking duration. Moreover, the built environment was related to decreased sedentary duration, leading to better mental health but worse social health.
Our findings highlighted that neighborhood environments were important to older adults’ physical activity and further contribute to health outcomes, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, which could shed some light on healthy aging in Asian countries.
Health position paper and redox perspectives - Disease burden by transportation noise; Noise, disease, and redox processes
2024, Redox Biology
Transportation noise is a ubiquitous urban exposure. In 2018, the World Health Organization concluded that chronic exposure to road traffic noise is a risk factor for ischemic heart disease. In contrast, they concluded that the quality of evidence for a link to other diseases was very low to moderate. Since then, several studies on the impact of noise on various diseases have been published. Also, studies investigating the mechanistic pathways underlying noise-induced health effects are emerging. We review the current evidence regarding effects of noise on health and the related disease-mechanisms. Several high-quality cohort studies consistently found road traffic noise to be associated with a higher risk of ischemic heart disease, heart failure, diabetes, and all-cause mortality. Furthermore, recent studies have indicated that road traffic and railway noise may increase the risk of diseases not commonly investigated in an environmental noise context, including breast cancer, dementia, and tinnitus. The harmful effects of noise are related to activation of a physiological stress response and nighttime sleep disturbance. Oxidative stress and inflammation downstream of stress hormone signaling and dysregulated circadian rhythms are identified as major disease-relevant pathomechanistic drivers. We discuss the role of reactive oxygen species and present results from antioxidant interventions. Lastly, we provide an overview of oxidative stress markers and adverse redox processes reported for noise-exposed animals and humans. This position paper summarizes all available epidemiological, clinical, and preclinical evidence of transportation noise as an important environmental risk factor for public health and discusses its implications on the population level.

View all citing articles on Scopus

^*: The most important references are denoted by an asterisk.

View full text

CLINICAL REVIEWEnvironmental noise, sleep and health