Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An analysis of relationships among environmental noise, annoyance and sensitivity to noise, and the consequences for health and sleep

  • Published:
Journal of Behavioral Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The complex relationship among long-term exposure to environmental noise, self-reports of health, and sleep was investigated in a multifactorial design. Forty-seven women and 35 men living beside a street with moderate to heavy traffic took part. They answered questions concerning health complaints, usual sleep patterns, sleep the actual week of testing, their subjective responses to noise, psychosocial relations, anxiety, stressful life events, type A behavior, and attitudinal factors that could explain their responses to noise. No detrimental relations among objective noise levels, health, and sleep could be shown. There were, however, strong correlations between the subjective noise responses of annoyance and sensitivity and health complaints. Only women revealed a relationship between poor sleep quality and sensitivity. The stronger relationship among noise sensitivity, health complaints, and poor sleep quality for women than for men could be explained by the degree of exposure to noise as evidenced by their longer residence and greater time spent at home.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Babisch, W., Ising, H., Gallacher, J. E. J., and Elwood, P. C. (1988). Traffic noise and cardiovascular risk. The Caerphilly study, first phase. Outdoor noise levels and risk factors.Arch. Environ. Health 43: 407–414.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bortner, R. W. (1969). A short rating scale as a potential measure of pattern A behavior.J. Chron. Dis. 22: 87–91.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bradley, J. S., and Jonah, B. A. (1979). The effects of site selected variables on human responses to traffic noise. I. Type of housing by traffic noise level.J. Sound Vibrat. 66: 589–604.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S., Evans, G. W., Stokols, D., and Krantz, D. S. (1986).Behavior, Health, and Environmental Stress, Plenum Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths, I. D., and Delauzun, F. R. (1977). Individual differences in sensitivity to traffic noise: An empirical study.J. Sound Vibrat. 55: 93–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths, I. D., Langdon, F. J., and Swan, M. A. (1980). Subjective effects of traffic noise exposure: Reliability and seasonal effects.J. Sound Vibrat. 71: 227–240.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, T. H., and Rahe, R. H. (1967). The Social Readjustment Rating Scale.J. Psychosom. Res. 11: 213–218.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jonah, B. A. Bradley, J. S., and Dawson, N. E. (1981). Predicting individual subjective responses to traffic noise.J. Appl. Psychol. 66: 490–501.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knipschild, P., and Sallé, H. (1979). Road traffic noise and cardiovascular disease.Int. Arch. Occupat. Environ. Health 44: 55–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langdon, F. J., and Griffiths, I. D. (1982). Subjective effects of traffic noise exposure. II. Comparisons of noise indices, response scales, and the effects of changes in noise levels.J. Sound Vibrat. 83: 171–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langdon, J. (1987). Some residual problems in noise nuisance: A brief review. In Koelega, H. S. (ed.),Environmental Annoyance: Characterization, Measurement, and Control, Elsevier, Amsterdam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neus, H., Ruddel, H., and Schulte, W. (1983). Traffic noise and hypertension. An epidemiological study of the role of subjective reactions.Int. Arch. Environ. Health 51: 223–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nivison, M. E., and Nordby, H. (1992). The effects of interstimulus interval length on short and long-term habituation of psychophysiological responses and on self-reported arousal (submitted for publication).

  • Nivison, M. E., Nordby, H., and Gjestland, T. (1987). The effects of length of interstimulus interval on psychophysiological responses and on self-reported arousal.J. Sound Vibrat. 116: 169–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nivison, M. E., Hjorthol, R., and Kolbenstvedt, M. (1992). The relationship between traffic noise, subjective responses to noise, self-reported health complaints, and sleep quality in a large sample (submitted for publication).

  • Raw, G. J., and Griffiths, I. D. (1988). Individual differences in response to road traffic noise.J. Sound Vibrat. 121:; 463–471.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spielberger, C. D., Gorsuch, R. L., and Lushene, R. E. (1970).STAI Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Consulting Psychologists' Press, Palo Alto, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • SPSS (1983).SPSS-X User's Guide, SPSS.

  • Stansfeld, S. A., Clark, C. R., Jenkins, L. M., and Tarnopolsky, A. (1985). Sensitivity to noise in a community sample. I. Measurement of psychiatric disorder and personality.Psychol. Med. 15: 243–254.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Statens Vegvesen og Miljøverndepartement (1979).Nordisk Beregningsmetode for Vegtrafikkstøy, Håndbok 064, Statens Vegvesen, Oslo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tarnopolsky, A., Barker, S. M., Wiggins, R. D., and McLean, E. K. (1978). The effect of aircraft noise on the mental health of a community sample: A pilot study.Psychol. Med. 8: 219–233.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tarnopolsky, A., Watkins, G., and Hand, D. J. (1980). Aircraft noise and mental health. I. Prevalence of individual symptoms.Psychol. Med. 10: 683–698.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ursin, H. (1987). Personality, activation, and psychosomatic disease. In Magnusson, D. and Øhman, D. (eds.),Psychopathology: An International Perspective, Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ursin, H., and Murison, R. (eds.) (1983).Biological and Psychological Basis of Psychosomatic Disease, Pergamon, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ursin, H., Endresen, I. M., and Ursin, G. (1988). Psychological factors and self-reports of muscle pain.Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 57: 282–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • von Eiff, A. W., Friedrich, G., and Neus, H. (1982). Traffic noise, a factor in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension.Contrib. Nephrol. 30: 82–86.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watkins, G., Tarnopolsky, A., and Jenkins, L. (1981). Aircraft noise and mental health. II. Use of medicines and health care services.Psychol. Med. 11: 155–168.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weinstein, N. D. (1980). Individual differences in critical tendencies and noise annoyance.J. Sound Vibrat. 68: 241–248.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weinstein, N. D. (1982). Community noise problems: Evidence against adaptation to noise.J. Environ. Psychol. 2: 87–97.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Physiological Psychology, Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, N-5009, Årstadveien 21, Bergen, Norway

    Mary Ellen Nivison & Inger M. Endresen

Authors
  1. Mary Ellen Nivison
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Inger M. Endresen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

This study was supported by grants from the Norwegian National Pollution Agency, the Nordic Noise Group, and the Norwegian Research Council for Science and the Humanities.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nivison, M.E., Endresen, I.M. An analysis of relationships among environmental noise, annoyance and sensitivity to noise, and the consequences for health and sleep. J Behav Med 16, 257–276 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00844759

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00844759

Key words

Search

Navigation