The effect of room acoustics on the sleep quality of healthy sleepers
Introduction: Noise is one of the factors that can seriously disturb sleep, and sound volume is an important factor in this context. One strategy involves avoiding exposure to sounds in the night, while entail the minimization of background noise in a bedroom. The goal of this study was to investiga...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Noise and Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.noiseandhealth.org/article.asp?issn=1463-1741;year=2016;volume=18;issue=84;spage=240;epage=246;aulast=Fietze |
| _version_ | 1819294043819999232 |
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| author | Ingo Fietze Charlotte Barthe Matthias Hölzl Martin Glos Sandra Zimmermann Ralf Bauer-Diefenbach Thomas Penzel |
| author_facet | Ingo Fietze Charlotte Barthe Matthias Hölzl Martin Glos Sandra Zimmermann Ralf Bauer-Diefenbach Thomas Penzel |
| author_sort | Ingo Fietze |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Noise is one of the factors that can seriously disturb sleep, and sound volume is an important factor in this context. One strategy involves avoiding exposure to sounds in the night, while entail the minimization of background noise in a bedroom. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of systematic sound attenuation on nocturnal sleep by influencing sound volume and reverberation within the context of room acoustics. Materials and Methods: On this basis, we designed a randomized, controlled crossover trial investigating 24 healthy sleepers (15 men and 9 women, aged 24.9 ± 4.1 years) with a body mass index (BMI) of 21.9 ± 1.6 kg/m2. Each participant slept for three consecutive nights at three different locations: (a) at our sleep lab, (b) at the participant’s home, and (c) at an acoustically isolated room. In addition to conduct of polysomnography (PSG), subjective sleep quality and nocturnal noise level were measured at each location. We likewise measured room temperature and relative humidity. Results: Under conditions of equal sleep efficiency, a significant increase in deep sleep, by 16–34 min, was determined in an acoustically isolated room in comparison to the two other sleep locations. Fewer arousal events and an increase in rapid eye movement (REM) latency became evident in an acoustically isolated environment. Sleep in a domestic environment was subjectively better than sleep under the two test conditions. Discussion: For healthy sleepers, room acoustics influence the microstructure of sleep, without subjective morning benefit. Reduction of noise level and of reverberation leads to an increase in the amount of deep sleep and to reduction of nocturnal arousal events, which is especially important for poor sleepers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T04:20:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bd261a09801d42af9c68cb4af416ba22 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1463-1741 1998-4030 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T04:20:03Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Noise and Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-bd261a09801d42af9c68cb4af416ba222022-12-21T17:15:50ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsNoise and Health1463-17411998-40302016-01-01188424024610.4103/1463-1741.192480The effect of room acoustics on the sleep quality of healthy sleepersIngo FietzeCharlotte BartheMatthias HölzlMartin GlosSandra ZimmermannRalf Bauer-DiefenbachThomas PenzelIntroduction: Noise is one of the factors that can seriously disturb sleep, and sound volume is an important factor in this context. One strategy involves avoiding exposure to sounds in the night, while entail the minimization of background noise in a bedroom. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of systematic sound attenuation on nocturnal sleep by influencing sound volume and reverberation within the context of room acoustics. Materials and Methods: On this basis, we designed a randomized, controlled crossover trial investigating 24 healthy sleepers (15 men and 9 women, aged 24.9 ± 4.1 years) with a body mass index (BMI) of 21.9 ± 1.6 kg/m2. Each participant slept for three consecutive nights at three different locations: (a) at our sleep lab, (b) at the participant’s home, and (c) at an acoustically isolated room. In addition to conduct of polysomnography (PSG), subjective sleep quality and nocturnal noise level were measured at each location. We likewise measured room temperature and relative humidity. Results: Under conditions of equal sleep efficiency, a significant increase in deep sleep, by 16–34 min, was determined in an acoustically isolated room in comparison to the two other sleep locations. Fewer arousal events and an increase in rapid eye movement (REM) latency became evident in an acoustically isolated environment. Sleep in a domestic environment was subjectively better than sleep under the two test conditions. Discussion: For healthy sleepers, room acoustics influence the microstructure of sleep, without subjective morning benefit. Reduction of noise level and of reverberation leads to an increase in the amount of deep sleep and to reduction of nocturnal arousal events, which is especially important for poor sleepers.http://www.noiseandhealth.org/article.asp?issn=1463-1741;year=2016;volume=18;issue=84;spage=240;epage=246;aulast=FietzeNoisereverberationsleep qualitysound isolationsound reduction |
| spellingShingle | Ingo Fietze Charlotte Barthe Matthias Hölzl Martin Glos Sandra Zimmermann Ralf Bauer-Diefenbach Thomas Penzel The effect of room acoustics on the sleep quality of healthy sleepers Noise and Health Noise reverberation sleep quality sound isolation sound reduction |
| title | The effect of room acoustics on the sleep quality of healthy sleepers |
| title_full | The effect of room acoustics on the sleep quality of healthy sleepers |
| title_fullStr | The effect of room acoustics on the sleep quality of healthy sleepers |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effect of room acoustics on the sleep quality of healthy sleepers |
| title_short | The effect of room acoustics on the sleep quality of healthy sleepers |
| title_sort | effect of room acoustics on the sleep quality of healthy sleepers |
| topic | Noise reverberation sleep quality sound isolation sound reduction |
| url | http://www.noiseandhealth.org/article.asp?issn=1463-1741;year=2016;volume=18;issue=84;spage=240;epage=246;aulast=Fietze |
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