Noise sensitivity impacts the evaluation of sleep due to vibration and noise from freight trains

摘要

Freight trains are expected to increase on the European railway network. Freight trains are particularly problematic with regards to generation of low frequency vibration and noise which has the potential to propagate to nearby homes and influence residents. Sleep is expected to be of critical importance from a health perspective. As part of the EU project Cargovibes, we have carried out three laboratory trials with a total of 59 young healthy persons (28 men and 31 women) over 350 person-nights to ascertain physiological and psychological reactions to nocturnal vibration and noise from freight traffic, and to examine differences between gender and noise sensitivity. Nights with low (0.0058 m/s~2) moderate (0.0102 m/s~2) and high (0.0204 m/s~2) maximum weighted vibration amplitudes and low (20), moderate (36) and high (52) number of train passages were simulated keeping the noise levels of the same order. Sleep was assessed using polysomnography and questionnaires. This paper focusses on the impacts of individual's noise sensitivity on the assessed sleep. Noise sensitive persons reported overall less sleep quality and had a lower amount of slow wave sleep, making them potentially vulnerable to nocturnal disturbances.