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The Disturbance by Road Traffic Noise of the Sleep of Young Male Adults as Recorded in the Home

Eberhardt, Jacob L and Akselsson, Roland LU (1987) In Journal of Sound and Vibration 114(3). p.417-434
Abstract
Primary effects of road traffic noise on sleep, as derived from EEG, EOG, and EMG, were studied for seven young males (aged 21–27) in their homes along roads with heavy traffic during the night. A more quiet experimental condition was obtained by mounting sound-insulating material in the window openings, thus reducing the interiors noise level by an average of 8 dB(A). The present investigation shows that the subjects had not become completely habituated to the noise, although they had lived at least a year at their residences. The noise reduction caused an earlier onset and a prolonged duration of slow was sleep. No effects on REM sleep were seen. The subjective sleep quality was significantly correlated to the noise dose. The equivalent... (More)
Primary effects of road traffic noise on sleep, as derived from EEG, EOG, and EMG, were studied for seven young males (aged 21–27) in their homes along roads with heavy traffic during the night. A more quiet experimental condition was obtained by mounting sound-insulating material in the window openings, thus reducing the interiors noise level by an average of 8 dB(A). The present investigation shows that the subjects had not become completely habituated to the noise, although they had lived at least a year at their residences. The noise reduction caused an earlier onset and a prolonged duration of slow was sleep. No effects on REM sleep were seen. The subjective sleep quality was significantly correlated to the noise dose. The equivalent sound pressure level (Leq) did not give the most adequate noise dose description. Better characterizations of the noise exposure were found in the number of car per night producing maximum sound pressure levels exceeding 50 or 55 dB(A) in the bedroom. Arousal reactions of type “body movements” and “changes towards lighter sleep” were induced by the noise of car passage but the percentage of cars inducing an effect was only <2% and <0•2% for the two types of reactions, respectively. The number of spontaneous body movements and sleep stage changes per night showed an increase during the more quiet nights as compared to the noisy nights. The sensitivity to arousal reactions was significantly lower in the present field study than the in the laboratory experiments. A description of the continuous sleep process by a few distinct “sleep stages” is too crude a tool for the detection of the rather subtle changes in the sleeping pattern caused by noise. In the present study an increased sensitivity in the analysis was obtained by dividing stage 2 into three substages. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
traffic noise, disturbance of sleep, EEG, EOG, EMG
in
Journal of Sound and Vibration
volume
114
issue
3
pages
417 - 434
publisher
Academic Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:0023648030
ISSN
0022-460X
DOI
10.1016/S0022-460X(87)80014-7
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
66f239c2-c73a-4943-ab32-f76ab6f4639a (old id 1788645)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 13:04:57
date last changed
2025-04-04 13:59:31
@article{66f239c2-c73a-4943-ab32-f76ab6f4639a,
  abstract     = {{Primary effects of road traffic noise on sleep, as derived from EEG, EOG, and EMG, were studied for seven young males (aged 21–27) in their homes along roads with heavy traffic during the night. A more quiet experimental condition was obtained by mounting sound-insulating material in the window openings, thus reducing the interiors noise level by an average of 8 dB(A). The present investigation shows that the subjects had not become completely habituated to the noise, although they had lived at least a year at their residences. The noise reduction caused an earlier onset and a prolonged duration of slow was sleep. No effects on REM sleep were seen. The subjective sleep quality was significantly correlated to the noise dose. The equivalent sound pressure level (Leq) did not give the most adequate noise dose description. Better characterizations of the noise exposure were found in the number of car per night producing maximum sound pressure levels exceeding 50 or 55 dB(A) in the bedroom. Arousal reactions of type “body movements” and “changes towards lighter sleep” were induced by the noise of car passage but the percentage of cars inducing an effect was only &lt;2% and &lt;0•2% for the two types of reactions, respectively. The number of spontaneous body movements and sleep stage changes per night showed an increase during the more quiet nights as compared to the noisy nights. The sensitivity to arousal reactions was significantly lower in the present field study than the in the laboratory experiments. A description of the continuous sleep process by a few distinct “sleep stages” is too crude a tool for the detection of the rather subtle changes in the sleeping pattern caused by noise. In the present study an increased sensitivity in the analysis was obtained by dividing stage 2 into three substages.}},
  author       = {{Eberhardt, Jacob  L and Akselsson, Roland}},
  issn         = {{0022-460X}},
  keywords     = {{traffic noise; disturbance of sleep; EEG; EOG; EMG}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{417--434}},
  publisher    = {{Academic Press}},
  series       = {{Journal of Sound and Vibration}},
  title        = {{The Disturbance by Road Traffic Noise of the Sleep of Young Male Adults as Recorded in the Home}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0022-460X(87)80014-7}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/S0022-460X(87)80014-7}},
  volume       = {{114}},
  year         = {{1987}},
}