Effects of road traffic noise on sleep: Studies on children and adults
Journal of Environmental Psychology, (2006)Abstract
Socio-acoustic studies were conducted in residential areas in Sweden
exposed to different levels of road traffic noise. The objectives
were to evaluate exposure–effect relationships between road traffic
noise and sleep quality and to compare sleep assessed by sleep logs
and wrist-actigraphy for children and parents. The main study involved
interviews with 160 children (9–12 years old) and 160 parents. Half
of the families also participated in an in-depth study in which their
sleep was registered with sleep logs and wrist-actigraphy. For parents
the results demonstrate a significant exposure–effect relationship
between noise levels from road traffic and the following sleep parameters:
sleep quality, awakenings, the habit of keeping windows closed at
night and perceived interference with road traffic noise. For children
a significant exposure–effect relationship was found between road
traffic noise and sleep quality as well as problems with daytime
sleepiness. Results from the in-depth study showed that children
had better perceived sleep quality and fewer awakenings than parents,
although sleep assessed by wrist-actigraphy indicated a better sleep
for parents.