Airport Noise Raises Blood Pressure During Sleep

A new study has shown that night time exposure to aircraft noise instantly raises a person’s blood pressure as they sleep. In fact, the louder the noise, the higher a person’s blood pressure became, researchers said Wednesday.   The study suggests that people living near airports may be exposed to additional health risks.

Over one billion people worldwide suffer from high blood pressure, a condition that can lead to more serious problems such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney failure.  

The study included 5,000 people, and found that an increase in night time airplane noise of 10 decibels increased the risk of high blood pressure by 14 percent in both men and women.

In a separate four-year study, researchers remotely monitored the blood pressure of 140 volunteer participants living near London’s Heathrow airport.  Blood pressure measurements were taken every 15 minutes as they slept in their homes.  The research team repeated this with volunteers living near three other major European airports.

Using digital recorders, the researchers determined which noises, such as road traffic, a snoring partner, or an airplane taking off or landing,  had the most significant effect on blood pressure.

They determined that it was the decibel level, not a sound’s origin, which was the key contributing factor in raising blood pressure.  However, airplanes had the most significant impact, Jarup said.

"Most of the time you will find road traffic noise is not too bad during the night," he said. "If you live near an airport where there are night flights, that is quite another story."

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The study was published in the European Heart Journal.  The full report can be viewed here