Establishing the acute physiological and sleep disruption characteristics of wind farm versus road traffic noise disturbances in sleep: a randomized controlled trial protocol.

Study Objectives: Despite the global expansion of wind farms, effects of wind farm noise (WFN) on sleep remain poorly understood. This protocol details a randomized controlled trial designed to compare the sleep disruption characteristics of WFN versus road traffic noise (RTN).

Methods: This study was a prospective, seven night within-subjects randomized controlled in-laboratory polysomnography-based trial.

Environmental noise-induced cardiovascular responses during sleep.

Study Objectives: This study was designed to test the utility of cardiovascular responses as markers of potentially different environmental noise disruption effects of wind farm compared to traffic noise exposure during sleep.

Methods: Twenty participants underwent polysomnography. In random order, and at six sound pressure levels from 33 dBA to 48 dBA in 3 dB increments, three types of wind farm and two types of road traffic noise recordings of 20-s duration were played during established N2 or deeper sleep, each separated by 20 s without noise.

The effect of wind turbine noise on polysomnographically measured and self-reported sleep latency in wind turbine noise naïve participants.

Study Objectives: Wind turbine noise (WTN) exposure could potentially interfere with the initiation of sleep. However, effects on objectively assessed sleep latency are largely unknown. This study sought to assess the impact of WTN on polysomnographically measured and sleep diary-determined sleep latency compared to control background noise alone in healthy good sleepers without habitual prior WTN exposure.

EEG power spectral responses to wind farm compared with road traffic noise during sleep: A laboratory study.

Wind turbine noise is dominated by low frequencies for which effects on sleep relative to more common environmental noise sources such as road traffic noise remain unknown. This study examined the effect of wind turbine noise compared with road traffic noise on sleep using quantitative electroencephalogram power spectral analysis. Twenty-three participants were exposed to 3-min samples of wind turbine noise and road traffic noise at three sound pressure levels (33, 38 and 43 dBA) in randomised order during established sleep.

K-complexes are a sensitive marker of noise-related sensory processing during sleep: a pilot study.

Study Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to examine dose-response relationships between sound pressure levels (SPLs) and K-complex occurrence probability for wind farm and road traffic noise. A secondary aim was to compare K-complex dose-responses to manually scored electroencephalography arousals and awakenings.

Methods: Twenty-five participants underwent polysomnography recordings and noise exposure during sleep in a laboratory.