ASA 126th Meeting Denver 1993 October 4-8

3aNS9. Design of a large-scale, in-home study of noise-induced sleep disturbance.

Sanford Fidell Karl Pearsons Richard Howe

BBN Systems and Technologies, 21120 Vanowen St., Canoga Park, CA 91303

Lawrence Finegold

USAF, Wright--Patterson AFB, OH 45433-6573

Pearsons, Barber, and Tabachnick (1990) have documented large differences in the findings of laboratory and home studies of the ability of noise to disturb sleep. More recently, preliminary analyses of data collected in a large-scale, in-home study of sleep disturbance [Ollerhead et al. (1992)] suggest a lower probability of awakening than indicated by a dosage--response relationship recommended by Federal Interagency Committee on Noise [FICON (1992)]. The U.S. Air Force is currently conducting an in-home study of sleep disturbance, intended in part to clarify several issues not fully resolved in prior work. These include the definition of sleep disturbance and the temporal linkage between noise exposure and sleep disturbance. The rationale, design, and progress of the Air Force study are described.