Aircraft Noise and Sleep Disturbance, 1979

<P>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</P><br>The aim of this survey was to provide a scientific basis for deciding future policy on aircraft movements at night at Heathrow and Gatwick. The survey sought:<br> a) to establish the nature and scale of sleep disturbance from all causes around Heathrow and Gatwick airports;<br> b) to assess the significance of aircraft noise in causing sleep disturbance;<br> c) to investigate the relationship between exposure to aircraft noise and the degree of sleep disturbance.<br><B>Main Topics</B>:<BR><br>Variables<br> Information was collected on: sleep disturbance (difficulty in getting to sleep, awakenings) over a period of 3 months and on a specific night (the night previous to the survey); times of going to bed/getting up; whether the respondent slept with open or closed windows, whether or not the respondent took sleeping pills, general questions on quality of sleep; demographic details. The interview survey also asked questions specifically about disturbance by aircraft noise and the extent to which children were disturbed.<br> An associated noise measurement programme provided the noise exposure (aircraft and background) at each survey site.