Influence of nocturnal noise on non-restorative sleep: Gender effects

Nocturnal noise exposure may affect the sleep of men and women differently. However, evidence remains limited, especially for non-restorative sleep (NRS). Therefore, this study aimed to assess the moderating effect of gender on the effect of nocturnal noise exposure on NRS. This was a household survey of Chinese adults. Participants completed the Chinese Non-restorative Sleep Scale (NRSS), standardized on a 0-100 scale, with a higher score indicating less NRS. Nocturnal noise level was measured by a dosimeter for one week. We recruited 90 subjects (58% female) with average age 37.0 years (range: 18-65). The mean nocturnal noise level was 55.5dBA (SD: 5.5dBA). The mean NRSS domain scores were 57.3 (SD: 17.6) for Refreshment from sleep, 67.0 (SD: 16.7) for Physical/Mental symptoms, 60.5 (SD: 15.4) for Daytime function, and 62.6 (SD: 21.6) for Affective symptoms. The gender-by-nocturnal noise exposure interaction was significant (p=0.043) for the Refreshment from sleep domain. The influence of nocturnal noise exposure on Refreshment from sleep was more profound in women (-1.00, 95% CI: -1.87 to -0.13) than in men (0.22, 95% CI: -0.57 to 1.01). Women may be more vulnerable than men to the adverse impact of nocturnal noise exposure on NRS. Copyright © 2019 Proceedings of the International Congress on Acoustics. All rights reserved.