2349 - Effects of Ambient Noise on Sleep in New York City

Abstract

Noise can be harmful to health. One effect of noise is disrupted sleep and poorer daytime cognitive performance. New York City (NYC) adults were surveyed to examine the frequency and sources of ambient noise that cause sleep disturbance, physical (e.g., wearing earplugs) or medical (e.g., using sleep medications) measures taken to reduce noise exposure, and effect on concentration due to poor sleep. The data were obtained from a 2017 automated telephone survey using a Redirected Inbound Call Sampling method. Participants were screened to be 18 years and older and live in a NYC borough. Imputation was used for missing demographic variables and missing or “prefer not to answer” responses of key noise questions. SAS was used to calculate frequencies and perform logistic regression. An estimated 2,650,000 NYC adults reported being disturbed from sleep by noise at least once per week. Of them, 78% were disturbed three or more nights per week. Traffic caused 53% of sleep disturbances of three or more nights per week, with sources consisting of subways (7%), buses (9%), sirens (15%), garbage trucks (11%), and other traffic (12%). 75% of New Yorkers with noise-disrupted sleep three or more nights per week reported difficulty concentrating due to poor sleep at least once per week. Regression analysis showed that significant associations of having noise-disrupted sleep at least once per week were: sleep disturbed by light (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.9–4.3, p<0.0001), use of physical (OR 7.4, 95% CI 5.2–10.4, p<0.0001) or medical (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.4–3.1, p=0.0004) interventions to mitigate outside noise, and race/ethnicity when compared to White Non-Hispanic (Hispanic OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.3–2.8, p=0.001; Other OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–3.0, p=0.0145). Associations with having difficulty concentrating due to poor sleep at least once per week included having sleep disturbed by light (OR 3.9, 95% CI 2.6–5.8, p<0.0001), sleep disturbed by noise (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.4–2.4, p<0.0001), and use of physical(OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.6–3.1, p<0.0001) or medical interventions (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.9–4.2, p<0.0001). Noise pollution, frequently due to traffic, is common in urban environments. It has detrimental effects on sleep, leading to perceived concentration difficulty, even with attempts to reduce it. Additionally, in NYC, there are disparities in noise exposure by race/ethnicity, possibly related to inequities in the concentration of non-white residents in under-resourced neighborhoods. Although NYC has a noise code that sets decibel limits and quiet times, additional ways to reduce noise pollution are needed to complement the regulatory approach.