Field Studies of Habituation to Change in Nighttime Aircraft Noise and of Sleep Motility Measurement Methods

摘要

A field study of habituation to aircraft noise-induced sleep disturbance was conducted near DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK), a large general aviation airport north of Atlanta, Georgia. Increased aircraft operations were expected in nighttime hours due to the Olympic Games in Atlanta in July/August 1996. Indoor and outdoor measurements of aircraft and other nighttime noises were made in 12 homes in a community north of PDK for a period of approximately 6 weeks, beginning 2-1/2 weeks prior to the Olympics and ending one week after their conclusion. Sleep disturbance information suitable for analysis was measured during 686 subject-nights by self-report, behaviorally-confirmed awakening (button pushes upon awakening) and sleep motility (via a wrist-worn recording accelerometer). No major differences were noted in sleep disturbance during or after the Olympics. Inclusion of data from all time periods with results of prior studies did not affect a prior dosage-response relationship between awakening and sound exposure level. A subsequent study involving an additional 117 subject-nights was undertaken to compare the sensitivity and interpretability of sleep motility measurements made in analysis epochs ranging from 2 to 30 seconds in duration. The pattern of findings of the methodological study revealed little benefit of analyzing motility measurements in short duration epochs.