Night-Time Noise Index Based on the Integration of Awakening Potential

Junta Tagusari, Tomoya Takashima, Satoshi Furukawa and Toshihito Matsui
Additional contact information
Junta Tagusari: Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 615-8530, Japan
Tomoya Takashima: Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 615-8530, Japan
Satoshi Furukawa: Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 615-8530, Japan
Toshihito Matsui: Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628, Japan

IJERPH, 2016, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: Sleep disturbance induced by night-time noise is a serious environmental problem that can cause adverse health effects, such as hypertension and ischemic heart disease. Night-time noise indices are used to facilitate the enforcement of permitted noise levels during night-time. However, existing night-time noise indices, such as sound exposure level (SEL), maximum sound level (L Amax ) and night equivalent level (L night ) are selected mainly because of practical reasons. Therefore, this study proposes a noise index based on neurophysiological determinants of the awakening process. These determinants have revealed that the potential on awakening is likely integrated into the brainstem that dominates wakefulness and sleep. From this evidence, a night-time noise index, N awake,year , was redefined based on the integration of the awakening potential unit (p unit ) estimated from the existing dose-response relationships of awakening. The newly-defined index considers the total number of awakenings and covers a wide-range and number of noise events. We also presented examples of its applicability to traffic noise. Although further studies are needed, it may reveal a reasonable dose-response relationship between sleep disturbance and adverse health effects and provide a consistent explanation for the risks of different sound sources where the characteristics of noise exposure are quite different.

Keywords: night-time noise; sleep; sleep disturbance; awakening; neurophysiology; Phillips-Robinson model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/3/272/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/3/272/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:13:y:2016:i:3:p:272-:d:64839

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().