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. 2023 Nov 6;20(21):7024.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20217024.

Effects of Aircraft Noise on Sleep: Federal Aviation Administration National Sleep Study Protocol

Mathias Basner  1 , Ian Barnett  2 , Michele Carlin  1 , Grace H Choi  2 , Joseph J Czech  3 , Adrian J Ecker  1 , Yoni Gilad  1 , Thomas Godwin  4 , Eric Jodts  4 , Christopher W Jones  1 , Marc Kaizi-Lutu  1 , Jennifer Kali  4 , Jean D Opsomer  4 , Sierra Park-Chavar  1 , Michael G Smith  1 , Victoria Schneller  1 , Nianfu Song  5 , Pamela A Shaw  2
Affiliations

Effects of Aircraft Noise on Sleep: Federal Aviation Administration National Sleep Study Protocol

Mathias Basner et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Aircraft noise can disrupt sleep and impair recuperation. The last U.S. investigation into the effects of aircraft noise on sleep dates back more than 20 years. Since then, traffic patterns and the noise levels produced by single aircraft have changed substantially. It is therefore important to acquire current data on sleep disturbance relative to varying degrees of aircraft noise exposure in the U.S. that can be used to check and potentially update the existing noise policy. This manuscript describes the design, procedures, and analytical approaches of the FAA's National Sleep Study. Seventy-seven U.S. airports with relevant nighttime air traffic from 39 states are included in the sampling frame. Based on simulation-based power calculations, the field study aims to recruit 400 participants from four noise strata and record an electrocardiogram (ECG), body movement, and sound pressure levels in the bedroom for five consecutive nights. The primary outcome of the study is an exposure-response function between the instantaneous, maximum A-weighted sound pressure levels (dBA) of individual aircraft measured in the bedroom and awakening probability inferred from changes in heart rate and body movement. Self-reported sleep disturbance due to aircraft noise is the secondary outcome that will be associated with long-term average noise exposure metrics such as the Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) and the Nighttime Equivalent Sound Level (Lnight). The effect of aircraft noise on several other physiological and self-report outcomes will also be investigated. This study will provide key insights into the effects of aircraft noise on objectively and subjectively assessed sleep disturbance.

Keywords: aircraft; awakening; body movement; electrocardiogram; exposure–response; noise; sleep; sleep disturbance.

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Conflict of interest statement

J.J.C. is employed by Harris Miller Miller & Hanson Inc. (HMMH), Anaheim, CA, USA. T.G., E.J., J.K. and J.O. are employed by Westat, Rockville, MD, USA. Pamela Shaw is a named inventor on patent PCT/US2016/050112 for the prediction of Cytokine release syndrome, which is owned by the University of Pennsylvania and licensed by Novartis. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results. FAA project managers supported the research team in fulfilling regulatory requirements and providing air traffic data.

Figures

Figure A1
Figure A1
Frequency distribution for maximum sound pressure levels (LAS,max) and background noise levels in the period one minute prior to the start of the aircraft noise event (LA,eq,1 min) for the four field studies at Atlanta (ATL), Philadelphia (PHL), Cologne Bonn (STRAIN), and Frankfurt (NORAH) airport that were used to inform power calculations.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Map of International Air Transport Association’s location identifiers for the 77 medium and high traffic airports within the study sampling frame.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Lnight contours used for stratified sampling are shown for Memphis Airport (MEM) as an example. Contours are based on 2018 traffic to and from runway ends that averaged at least one departure or arrival per hour between 10:00 p.m. and 6:59 a.m.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Field study participant enrollment process.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Field study equipment. (A) Sound recorder Zoom H5; (B) ECG and body movement device Bittium Faros 180; (C) illustration of all equipment components and how they are stored and packed for shipping.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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