From research conducted at the German Aerospace Center (DLR)

The subjects slept in the sleep laboratory for eleven consecutive nights, during which they were exposed to different acoustic scenarios ranging from street sounds to the noise of passing aircraft. The researchers monitored how often their subjects woke up and how quickly they were able to get back to sleep. They also measured heart rates and other parameters. The next day, participants were given concentration and memory tests in order to measure the effects of insufficient sleep. The study shows that the volume of a sound is not the only important factor in sleep disturbance but that changes in a sound over time as well as a sound’s duration also play a key role. Overall, the results support the thesis that sustained exposure to noise increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The insights provided by this research could also be of value for the optimisation of noise-protection techniques.

Michel Winand/DLR-Kommunikation