Noise Exposure During Sleep and Risk of Osas: A Population-Based Study

Background: Noise-induced sleep fragmentation increases upper airway collapsibility and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Heart rate variability (HRV) is altered in SDB, as obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAS). We investigated the association between exposure to nocturnal traffic noise and HRV as proxy of OSAS in a representative sample from the Swiss adult population. Methods: 1363 participants of the SAPALDIA study underwent a 24-hour ECG. SDB was defined by physician-diagnosed OSAS or respiratory pause during sleep. Using the HRV frequency-domain component of the 24-hour ECG, we calculated the percentage of the very low frequency increment interval (VLFI) over the total power spectral density, a surrogate marker of OSAS (%VLFI 4%). Night-time traffic noise exposure (10pm-6am) obtained from SONBASE, the Swiss databank on noise pollution, was linked to participants9 home addresses. Logistic regression models using 35dB(A) cut-off were adjusted for relevant covariates. Subjects treated for OSAS or under beta-blockers were excluded from analyses. Results: MeanSD %VLFI was 5.983.28 in men and 4.11±2.40 in women (p 35 dB(A) at night was significantly associated with increased %VLFI in men (OR: 1.54; CI: 1.03-2.32; p=0.036), but not in women (OR: 0.96; CI: 0.65-1.40; p=0.825). Conclusion: In this large population, the %VLFI index derived from the 24h-ECG proved useful to corroborate reports of SDB. This study suggests that nocturnal noise is an independent factor for OSAS in men, but not in women.