Published: 26 September 2024
Noise from aircraft at night is linked with disturbed sleep quality and sleep-wake cycle, according to a new study using movement trackers.
Environmental health experts combined measurements from activity monitors and self-reported sleep information for the first time to put together a more detailed picture of how aircraft noise impacts sleep, in the largest such study to date.
The results, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, show that people exposed to higher levels of night-time aircraft noise experienced more restlessness during sleep and disruption in daily sleep rhythm, even if they had a full night’s sleep.
Professor John Gulliver from the St George’s Population Health Research Institute was involved in the study, which was led by the University of Leicester’s Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability.
Tracking sleep of over 80,000 people
The team used the UK Biobank cohort study, a large UK study originally set up to examine links between genes and disease, to identify and analyse data from over 80,000 people living near four major airports (London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham) in England. Recruitment into the study was independent of airports or interest in aircraft noise, so the study is unlikely to reflect those with pre-existing concerns about aircraft noise.
To measure sleep, the researchers used wearable devices (similar in size to a watch) that tracked movement during sleep, a method called actimetry. Actimetry data were collected for approximately 20% of the participants between 2013 and 2015. Alongside this, they used responses to questionnaires collected between 2006 and 2013, in which people reported on their sleep quality, how long they slept, and whether they took daytime naps.
The aircraft noise each person was exposed to was estimated using noise maps created by the UK Civil Aviation Authority. The maps showed how loud the aircraft noise was (in decibels dB) in 2011 in areas around the airports and this was matched to where the participants lived. The sleep of those exposed to higher noise levels, defined as a night-time average of 55 dB or more, was compared with those exposed to less than 45 dB. The analyses took into account other factors that may affect sleep such as age, sex, ethnicity, income, physical activity, and environmental conditions.
Higher levels of night-time aircraft noise (55 dB or more) were associated with increased movement during sleep, which is a sign of sleep disruption. Participants exposed to high levels of noise also showed disrupted sleep-wake cycles, meaning their daily sleep rhythm was less regular. This is despite the fact that the total time they spent in bed was not much different.
Policies needed to reduce noise pollution
“This study is one of the first to link night flight noise to disrupted sleep patterns of those living under flight paths. This could have a damaging impact to health in the long-term, and so it’s vital we look at how policies can be adapted to reduce noise pollution from airplanes at night.”
- Professor John Gulliver, Professor of Environmental and Exposure Sciences at St George's Population Health Research Institute -
Anna Hansell, Professor of Environmental Epidemiology at the University of Leicester, led the study. She said: “This study is different because it is one of the largest on this topic and combined sleep data from wearable devices with self-reported sleep information. Most previous studies have relied on people’s self-reports about their sleep, which can sometimes be inaccurate due to poor recall. In contrast, actimetry, which uses devices to track sleep, doesn’t require people to remember how they slept, hence providing a more objective measure of sleep.”
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