Self-Reported Sleep Disturbance from Road, Rail and Aircraft Noise: Exposure-Response Relationships and Effect Modifiers in the SiRENE Study

Mark Brink, Beat Schäffer, Danielle Vienneau, Reto Pieren, Maria Foraster, Ikenna C. Eze, Franziska Rudzik, Laurie Thiesse, Christian Cajochen, Nicole Probst-Hensch, Martin Röösli and Jean Marc Wunderli
Additional contact information
Mark Brink: Federal Office for the Environment, 3003 Bern, Switzerland
Beat Schäffer: Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
Danielle Vienneau: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4051 Basel, Switzerland
Reto Pieren: Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
Maria Foraster: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4051 Basel, Switzerland
Ikenna C. Eze: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4051 Basel, Switzerland
Franziska Rudzik: Centre for Chronobiology, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
Laurie Thiesse: Centre for Chronobiology, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
Christian Cajochen: Centre for Chronobiology, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
Nicole Probst-Hensch: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4051 Basel, Switzerland
Martin Röösli: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4051 Basel, Switzerland
Jean Marc Wunderli: Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 21, 1-21

Abstract: This survey investigates the cross-sectional association between nighttime road, rail and aircraft noise exposure and the probability to be highly sleep disturbed (%HSD), as measured by self-report in postal and online questionnaires. As part of the Swiss SiRENE study, a total of 5592 survey participants in the entire country were selected based on a stratified random sample of their dwelling. Self-reported sleep disturbance was measured using an ICBEN-style 5-point verbal scale. The survey was carried out in four waves at different times of the year. Source-specific noise exposure was calculated for several façade points for each dwelling. After adjustment for potential confounders, all three noise sources showed a statistically significant association between the nighttime noise level LNight at the most exposed façade point and the probability to report high sleep disturbance, as determined by logistic regression. The association was strongest for aircraft noise and weakest for road traffic noise. We a priori studied the role of a range of effect modifiers, including the “eventfulness” of noise exposure, expressed as the Intermittency Ratio (IR) metric, bedroom window position, bedroom orientation towards the closest street, access to a quiet side of the dwelling, degree of urbanization, sleep timing factors (bedtime and sleep duration), sleep medication intake, survey season and night air temperature. While bedroom orientation exhibited a strong moderating effect, with an Leq-equivalent of nearly 20 dB if the bedroom faces away from the nearest street, the LNight-%HSD associations were not affected by bedroom window position, sleep timing factors, survey season, or temperature.

Keywords: noise exposure; sleep disturbance; exposure-effect relationship; traffic noise; noise effects; road traffic noise; railway noise; aircraft noise (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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