Broadband Sound and Sleep

Study on the Use of Broadband Sound to Mitigate Sleep Disruption Due to Aircraft Noise

Sound insulation of bedrooms is expensive and typically only granted to residents living close to the airport. We plan to investigate the effects of various aviation noises on sleep under controlled laboratory conditions and to investigate whether some of the sleep disturbing effects can be mitigated by introducing broadband noise into the bedroom or by wearing earplugs.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Noise Exposure
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Aviation Noise Only (AN); Other: Pink noise only, 50 dBA (BN50); Other: Aviation Noise With Earplugs (AN+EP); Other: Aviation Noise With Pink Noise, 40 dBA (AN+BN40); Other: Aviation Noise With Pink Noise, 50 dBA (AN+BN50)

Detailed Description

The Federal Aviation Administration is interested in investigating inexpensive yet effective methods to mitigate the adverse effects of aviation noise on sleep. The sleep of up to 28 subjects will be monitored with polysomnography and actigraphy over 7 consecutive nights in groups of 4 exposed to various sound conditions (aviation noise; broadband noise; aviation noise plus earplugs; aviation noise plus broadband noise at various decibel [dB] levels). Subjects will fill out surveys, perform cognitive tasks and a hearing test before and after each sleep period. The study will be performed in the Chronobiology Isolation Laboratory (CIL) in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. This newly constructed facility includes 4 acoustically isolated bedrooms and a high-fidelity sound system. Eligible subjects are age 21-50, free of psychiatric conditions that preclude participation, and maintain a self-reported regular sleep schedule of 6-8.5 hours per night as verified by six days of ambulatory actigraphy and daily logs.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 27
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
      • University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 21 years to 50 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult subjects between 21-50 years old
• Free of psychological/psychiatric conditions that preclude participation.
• BMI between 18.5 and 35.
• Self-reported regular sleep schedule; able to maintain their sleep schedule during the course of the study.
• Self-reported sleep duration of 6-8.5 h per night (verified by ambulatory sleep monitoring with wrist actigraphy and daily logs).
• Ability to read/write English.
• Fully vaccinated for or recovered from coronavirus (COVID-19).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Subjects habitually use broadband noise (e.g. white noise machines) to promote sleep at home.
• Hearing loss greater than 25 dB in any frequency band up to 8 kilohertz (kHz).
• History of neurological, psychiatric, or other medical condition that excludes participation.
• Current mania or psychosis.
• Current depression as determined by the Beck Depression Inventory with a score of 17 or greater (Beck, 1996).
• Alcohol or drug abuse in the past year based upon history and urine toxicology screen.
• Excessive alcohol intake (above 21 drinks per week) or binge alcohol consumption (5 or more drinks per day).
• Excessive caffeine consumption (above 650mg/day combining all caffeinated drinks regularly absorbed during the day).
• Current smoker/tobacco user, or using nicotine replacement therapy. Those that have been nicotine-free for 30 days will be included.
• Body Mass Index at or below 18.5 or at or above 35.
• Acute, chronic, or debilitating medical conditions, major Axis I psychiatric illness based on history, physical exam, blood and urine chemistries, and complete blood count (CBC).
• Individuals who self-report a history of recurrent seizures or epilepsy or have a history of medical conditions that could increase the chance of seizures (e.g. stroke, aneurysm, brain surgery, structural brain lesion).
• Cardiovascular, neurological, gastrointestinal, or musculoskeletal problems that exclude participation.
• Major controlled or uncontrolled medical condition such as congestive heart failure, neuromuscular disease, renal failure, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), respiratory failure or insufficiency, cardiac arrhythmia, or patients requiring oxygen therapy (as determined by self-report).
• Currently working night, swing, split or rotating shift.
• Current use or use of within the past month of a prescription or over-the-counter sleep medication or stimulant; use of psychoactive medication (based on self-report and review with a study clinician).
• Pregnant or currently breast feeding.
• Prior history or diagnosis of any sleep disorder including Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) (AHI at or above 15 events/hour) from ambulatory or in lab polysomnography; Restless legs syndrome or periodic limb movement disorder; Insomnia; Parasomnia; High Risk of OSA based on Stop-Bang Questionnaire (yes on at least 4 of 8 questions); High Risk of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) based on Cambridge-Hopkins Screening questionnaire; High Risk of Insomnia based on Insomnia Severity Index (score of 22 or higher).
• Individuals who self-report severe contact dermatitis or allergy to silicone, nickel or silver.
• Planned travel across more than one time zone one month prior to and/or during the anticipated period of the study.
• Intentional naps during the week.
• Positive COVID-19 test at prescreening.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

6

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Pink Noise Only, 50 dBA (BN50); Subjects were exposed to six different conditions during a sleep opportunity period from 2300-0700. After an adaptation night with no interventions on night 1, subjects received the Pink Noise at 50 dBA (BN50) condition once between nights 2 to 7. The Pink Noise at 50 dBA (BN50) night consisted of exposure to continuous pink broadband noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 50 A-weighted decibels (dBA). For the purposes of blinding, this was Condition A.	Other: Aviation Noise Only (AN); The aviation noise (AN) night will expose subjects to a pre-programmed recording of aviation noise and alerts during sleep from 2300-0700.; Other: Pink noise only, 50 dBA (BN50); The BN50 night will consist of exposure to continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 50 A-weighted decibels (dBA).; Other: Aviation Noise With Earplugs (AN+EP); The AN + EP night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of wearing earplugs overnight.; Other: Aviation Noise With Pink Noise, 40 dBA (AN+BN40); The AN + BN40 night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 40 dBA.; Other: Aviation Noise With Pink Noise, 50 dBA (AN+BN50); The AN + BN50 night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 50 dBA.
Experimental: Aviation Noise Plus Pink Noise at 50 dBA (AN+BN50); Subjects were exposed to six different conditions during a sleep opportunity period from 2300-0700. After an adaptation night with no interventions on night 1, subjects received the Aviation Noise + Pink Noise at 50 dBA (AN+BN50) condition once between nights 2-7. The Aviation Noise plus Pink Noise, 50 dBA (AN+BN50) night consisted of aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 50 dBA (BN50). The aviation noise (AN) was a pre-programmed recording of 93 sounds including aviation-related noise (e.g. helicopter, sonic boom) and alerting noise (alarm, baby crying), ranging from 45 dB to 65 dB, played during sleep from 2300-0700. For the purposes of blinding, this was Condition B.	Other: Aviation Noise Only (AN); The aviation noise (AN) night will expose subjects to a pre-programmed recording of aviation noise and alerts during sleep from 2300-0700.; Other: Pink noise only, 50 dBA (BN50); The BN50 night will consist of exposure to continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 50 A-weighted decibels (dBA).; Other: Aviation Noise With Earplugs (AN+EP); The AN + EP night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of wearing earplugs overnight.; Other: Aviation Noise With Pink Noise, 40 dBA (AN+BN40); The AN + BN40 night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 40 dBA.; Other: Aviation Noise With Pink Noise, 50 dBA (AN+BN50); The AN + BN50 night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 50 dBA.
Sham Comparator: Control (CTRL); Subjects were exposed to six different conditions during a sleep opportunity period from 2300-0700. After an adaptation night with no interventions on night 1, subjects received the Control (CTRL) condition once between nights 2 to 7. The Control (CTRL) night had no interventions. There was no background broadband noise nor aviation noise, and subjects did not wear earplugs. For the purposes of blinding, this was Condition C.	Other: Aviation Noise Only (AN); The aviation noise (AN) night will expose subjects to a pre-programmed recording of aviation noise and alerts during sleep from 2300-0700.; Other: Pink noise only, 50 dBA (BN50); The BN50 night will consist of exposure to continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 50 A-weighted decibels (dBA).; Other: Aviation Noise With Earplugs (AN+EP); The AN + EP night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of wearing earplugs overnight.; Other: Aviation Noise With Pink Noise, 40 dBA (AN+BN40); The AN + BN40 night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 40 dBA.; Other: Aviation Noise With Pink Noise, 50 dBA (AN+BN50); The AN + BN50 night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 50 dBA.
Experimental: Aviation Noise Plus Pink Noise at 40 dBA (AN+BN40); Subjects were exposed to six different conditions during a sleep opportunity period from 2300-0700. After an adaptation night with no interventions on night 1, subjects received the Aviation Noise plus Pink Noise at 40 dBA (AN+BN40) condition once between nights 2 to 7. The Aviation Noise plus Pink Noise at 40 dBA (AN + BN40) night consisted of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 40 A-weighted decibels (dBA). The aviation noise (AN) was a pre-programmed recording of 93 sounds including aviation-related noise (e.g. helicopter, sonic boom) and alerting noise (alarm, baby crying), ranging from 45 dB to 65 dB, played during sleep from 2300-0700. For the purposes of blinding, this was Condition D.	Other: Aviation Noise Only (AN); The aviation noise (AN) night will expose subjects to a pre-programmed recording of aviation noise and alerts during sleep from 2300-0700.; Other: Pink noise only, 50 dBA (BN50); The BN50 night will consist of exposure to continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 50 A-weighted decibels (dBA).; Other: Aviation Noise With Earplugs (AN+EP); The AN + EP night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of wearing earplugs overnight.; Other: Aviation Noise With Pink Noise, 40 dBA (AN+BN40); The AN + BN40 night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 40 dBA.; Other: Aviation Noise With Pink Noise, 50 dBA (AN+BN50); The AN + BN50 night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 50 dBA.
Experimental: Aviation Noise (AN); Subjects were exposed to six different conditions during a sleep opportunity period from 2300-0700. After an adaptation night with no interventions on night 1, subjects received the Aviation Noise (AN) condition once between nights 2 to 7. The aviation noise (AN) was a pre-programmed recording of 93 sounds including aviation-related noise (e.g. helicopter, sonic boom) and alerting noise (alarm, baby crying), ranging from 45 dB to 65 dB, played during sleep from 2300-0700. There was no broadband noise exposure overnight. For the purposes of blinding, this was Condition E.	Other: Aviation Noise Only (AN); The aviation noise (AN) night will expose subjects to a pre-programmed recording of aviation noise and alerts during sleep from 2300-0700.; Other: Pink noise only, 50 dBA (BN50); The BN50 night will consist of exposure to continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 50 A-weighted decibels (dBA).; Other: Aviation Noise With Earplugs (AN+EP); The AN + EP night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of wearing earplugs overnight.; Other: Aviation Noise With Pink Noise, 40 dBA (AN+BN40); The AN + BN40 night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 40 dBA.; Other: Aviation Noise With Pink Noise, 50 dBA (AN+BN50); The AN + BN50 night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 50 dBA.
Experimental: Aviation Noise Plus Earplugs (AN+EP); Subjects were exposed to six different conditions during a sleep opportunity period from 2300-0700. After an adaptation night with no interventions on night 1, subjects received the Aviation Noise plus Earplugs (AN+EP) condition once between nights 2 to 7. The aviation noise (AN) was a pre-programmed recording of 93 sounds including aviation-related noise (e.g. helicopter, sonic boom) and alerting noise (alarm, baby crying), ranging from 45 dB to 65 dB, played during sleep from 2300-0700. There was no broadband noise exposure. For the purposes of blinding, this was Condition F.	Other: Aviation Noise Only (AN); The aviation noise (AN) night will expose subjects to a pre-programmed recording of aviation noise and alerts during sleep from 2300-0700.; Other: Pink noise only, 50 dBA (BN50); The BN50 night will consist of exposure to continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 50 A-weighted decibels (dBA).; Other: Aviation Noise With Earplugs (AN+EP); The AN + EP night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of wearing earplugs overnight.; Other: Aviation Noise With Pink Noise, 40 dBA (AN+BN40); The AN + BN40 night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 40 dBA.; Other: Aviation Noise With Pink Noise, 50 dBA (AN+BN50); The AN + BN50 night will consist of the aviation noise (AN) exposure with the addition of continuous pink noise throughout the sleep period at a level of 50 dBA.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Time Spent in Slow Wave Sleep and Rapid Eye Movement (N3 + REM)	Combined time spent in sleep stages N3 and REM in minutes, as measured by polysomnography (PSG).	Days 2-7

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Cognition Efficiency	Efficiency scores from 10 brief cognitive tasks are generated from accuracy & speed of reaction/responding, represented here by standardized effect sizes, where higher scores indicate better performance. Test scores were adjusted for practice and stimulus set effects, and z-transformed based on average and standard deviation across all tests taken. Accuracy and speed across cognitive domains were calculated by averaging z-scores across the 10 tests, then averaged to calculate an efficiency metric. Scores between -0.2 and +0.2 suggest no effect on efficiency (0=population mean). Between -0.2 and -0.5 suggests a small negative effect (i.e. slightly less efficient). Between -0.5 and -0.8 suggests a moderate negative effect. Scores below -0.8 suggest a large negative effect. Between 0.2 and 0.5 suggests a small positive effect. Between 0.5 and 0.8 suggests a moderate positive effect. Scores above 0.8 suggest a large positive effect (i.e. significantly more efficient).	Days 2-7
Cognition Speed	A single variable representing response time across 10 Cognitive tasks that cover a range of cognitive domains with known cerebral representation. Test scores were adjusted for practice and stimulus set effects, and z-transformed based on average and standard deviation across all tests taken. Speed across cognitive domains was calculated by averaging z-scores across the 10 tests. Higher scores reflect faster speed. Scores between -0.2 and +0.2 suggest no effect on speed (0=population mean). Between -0.2 and -0.5 suggests a small negative effect (i.e. slightly slower). Between -0.5 and -0.8 suggests a moderate negative effect. Scores below -0.8 suggest a large negative effect (i.e. significantly slower). Between 0.2 and 0.5 suggests a small positive effect (i.e. slightly faster). Between 0.5 and 0.8 suggests a moderate positive effect. Scores above 0.8 suggest a large positive effect (i.e. significantly faster).	Days 2-7
Cognition Accuracy	A single variable representing response time across 10 Cognitive tasks that cover a range of cognitive domains with known cerebral representation. Test scores were adjusted for practice and stimulus set effects, and z-transformed based on average and standard deviation across all tests taken. Accuracy across cognitive domains was calculated by averaging z-scores across the 10 tests. Higher scores reflect better accuracy. Scores between -0.2 and +0.2 suggest no effect on accuracy (0=population mean). Between -0.2 and -0.5 suggests a small negative effect (i.e. slightly less accurate). Between -0.5 and -0.8 suggests a moderate negative effect. Scores below -0.8 suggest a large negative effect (i.e. significantly less accurate). Between 0.2 and 0.5 suggests a small positive effect (i.e. slightly more accurate). Between 0.5 and 0.8 suggests a moderate positive effect. Scores above 0.8 suggest a large positive effect (i.e. significantly more accurate).	Days 2-7
Driving Simulator Standard Deviation of Lane Position	The standard deviation of lane position reflects the extent (in feet) to which participants "swerve" within the lane in a virtual driving simulator, often used to investigate the effects of impairment on driving performance, where higher values represent worse performance.	Days 2-7

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania
• Collaborators: Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Mathias Basner, MD, PhD, MSc, University of Pennsylvania

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Watson NF, Badr MS, Belenky G, Bliwise DL, Buxton OM, Buysse D, Dinges DF, Gangwisch J, Grandner MA, Kushida C, Malhotra RK, Martin JL, Patel SR, Quan SF, Tasali E. Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: A Joint Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Sleep. 2015 Jun 1;38(6):843-4. doi: 10.5665/sleep.4716.
• Huang HW, Zheng BL, Jiang L, Lin ZT, Zhang GB, Shen L, Xi XM. Effect of oral melatonin and wearing earplugs and eye masks on nocturnal sleep in healthy subjects in a simulated intensive care unit environment: which might be a more promising strategy for ICU sleep deprivation? Crit Care. 2015 Mar 19;19(1):124. doi: 10.1186/s13054-015-0842-8.
• Riedy SM, Smith MG, Rocha S, Basner M. Noise as a sleep aid: A systematic review. Sleep Med Rev. 2021 Feb;55:101385. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2020.101385. Epub 2020 Sep 9.
• Basner M, McGuire S. WHO Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region: A Systematic Review on Environmental Noise and Effects on Sleep. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Mar 14;15(3):519. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15030519.
• Basner M, Babisch W, Davis A, Brink M, Clark C, Janssen S, Stansfeld S. Auditory and non-auditory effects of noise on health. Lancet. 2014 Apr 12;383(9925):1325-1332. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61613-X. Epub 2013 Oct 30.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 31, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 17, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): June 17, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 7, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 7, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): March 20, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): November 18, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 4, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Sleep; Cognitive Performance
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Equipment and Supplies; Manufactured Materials; Technology, Industry, and Agriculture; Protective Devices; Personal Protective Equipment; Protective Clothing; Clothing; Ear Protective Devices
• Other Study ID Numbers: 852479

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Public project data files will be available via the National Transportation Library (NTL). Personally Identifiable Information (PII) will not be publicly available. Sensitive data that cannot be de-identified will be posted to secure government databases, such as posting of genetic sequence data in NIH's database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGAP) (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gap/), where appropriate and in accordance with institutional review board (IRB) guidance and federal regulations.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Data files will be available one year after the project end date.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: People requesting the data will have to fulfill the access criteria set by the respective database.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No