The Aviation Night Noise Effects (ANNE) study will examine the relationship of aviation noise on sleep disturbance and annoyance, and how this varies by different times of night. The study is funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) and is a collaboration between St George’s, University of London, NatCen Social Research, Noise Consultants Limited, and the University of Pennsylvania. This is the first study of aviation noise effects on sleep disturbance in the UK for 30 years.
Exposure to aviation noise at night can impact on physical and mental well-being1. Humans continue to respond to sounds in the environment even when asleep, which can cause awakenings and poor sleep quality2,3. This sleep disturbance can have a negative impact on health, increasing the risk of daytime sleepiness, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease4.
The first stage of the ANNE study will involve a cross-sectional survey of 4,000 people who live near eight UK airports, to assess the association between aircraft noise exposure at night and subjective assessments of sleep quality and annoyance. The second stage of the study will involve an observational study of 170 people, recruited from the survey, to assess the association between aircraft noise exposure and objective sleep quality, using physiological assessments of sleep disturbance and sound level measurements in participants’ bedrooms.
There is some concern about aviation noise exposure at night to communities around airports and the UK government is currently reviewing night-time aviation policy. The ANNE study will derive exposure-response functions between night-time aviation noise metrics and sleep and annoyance outcomes. This evidence will be used to inform the DfT’s future policies for night-time aviation noise exposure, and assist with the management and mitigation of health impacts on local communities, as part of a wider assessment of the costs and benefits of night flying.
For a list of frequently asked questions about the study, please visit our FAQs webpage.
Read the privacy notice for this study (PDF).
1. European Environment Agency. Environmental Noise in Europe 2020. Luxembourg: Publications of the European Union; 2020.
2. Basner M, McGuire S. WHO Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region: A Systematic Review on Environmental Noise and Effects on Sleep. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2018;15:519.
3. Basner M, Witte M, McGuire S. Aircraft Noise Effects on Sleep-Results of a Pilot Study Near Philadelphia International Airport. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019;16.
4. Hahad O, Kroller-Schon S, Daiber A, Munzel T. The Cardiovascular Effects of Noise. Dtsch Arztebl Int 2019;116:245-+.