Night-flight ban preserves sleep in airport residents

Abstract

We conducted an observational field study at Frankfurt Airport before (2011) and after (2012) implementation of a night-flight ban (23:00–5:00) to determine whether reduced nighttime flight traffic protects airport residents from sleep fragmentation. We recorded sleep-EEG and noise exposure in residents’ bedrooms in early sleepers (bedtime: 22:00–22:30, rise time: 6:00–6:30; 2011: N = 49; 2012: N = 42) and late sleepers (bedtime: 23:00–23:30, rise time 7:00–7:30; 2012 only: N = 41). Early sleepers were exposed to 26.8 ± 15.7 (mean per time in bed ± STD) overflights in 2011, and 14.9 ± 9.3 in 2012. Late sleepers were exposed to 24.6 ± 14.7 overflights in 2012. Number of awakenings was 27.5% lower in early sleepers in 2012 than in 2011 (p < 0.001). Noise-associated awakenings predicted from the exposure–response model were higher in late compared to early sleepers in 2012. A night-flight ban is most effective when it largely overlaps with the sleep episode.