Objetivo
TO DETERMINE IN WHICH MANNER AND AT WHICH LEVEL TRAFFIC NOISE AT HOME DISTURBS SLEEP PATTERN, PHYSIOLOGICAL REACTIONS DURING SLEEP AND PSYCHOLOGICAL REACTIONS ON THE MORNING.
DURING A PRECEDING RESEARCH PROJECT (1977-1981), THREE LABORATORIES:
A) INSTITUT DE RECHERCHE DES TRANSPORTS, BRON (F),
B) INSTITUUT VOOR MILIEUHYGIENE, TNO, DELFT (NL),
C) APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY UNIT, MRC,CAMBRIDGE (UK),
RECORDED IN THE HOME PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS DURING SLEEP (ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAMMES, ELECTROCARDIOGRAMMES, ...) AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PERFORMANCES (SIMPLE CHOICE REACTION TIME, MOOD) ON THE FOLLOWING MORNING FOR 240 NIGHTS AND 20 SUBJECTS IN EACH COUNTRY, BEFORE AND AFTER NOISE REDUCTION IN BED ROOM.
CORRELATIONS BETWEEN AVERAGE NOISE LEVELS AND RECORDED PARAMETERS HAVE BEEN FOUND FOR SLEEP STAGES DURATION, MEAN HEART RATE, REACTION TIME, AND SUBJECTIVE QUALITY OF SLEEP.
THE PRESENT RESEARCH WILL ANALYSE THE INSTANTANEOUS VARIATIONS OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AND EACH NOISE EVENT (A CAR PASSING BY), TO ASSESS THE MOST IMPORTANT PHYSICAL PARAMETERS OF NOISE (PEAK LEVEL, DURATION, RISE TIME, ...) BY LOOKING FOR CORRELATIONS BETWEEN NOISE AND PHYSICAL AND SUBJECTS PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES.