Sleep disturbances are associated with atmospheric pollution

High levels of air pollution for a long period of time may cause poor sleep or insomnia (less than six hours of sleep), according to a new American scientific study that correlated air quality with sleep quality.

Previous studies have shown that air pollution adversely affects the health of the heart and lungs, increasing both cardiovascular mortality and asthma risk, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory tract infections and sleep apnea. However, it has not yet been clear whether chronic pollution has an impact on sleep, which is indeed the case of new research.

Researchers, headed by medical assistant professor Marilyn Billing of the University of Washington in Seattle, who reported on an international conference of the American Thoracic Society in Washington, according to RES-MEA, analyzed data on 1,863 people with an average age of 68 years.

The quality and duration of sleep of these individuals was recorded with special instruments and interviews for a consecutive week and then correlated with each person's exposure to two main air pollutants, nitrogen oxides and microscopic particles (PM2,5) that penetrate Deep into the lungs.

It was found that those who had been exposed to higher levels of nitrogen oxides over the past five years had an increased chance of 57% not making good and adequate sleep. The respective odds were increased by about 50% for those exposed to the larger PM2.5 particle levels.

The researchers have not ruled out that the negative impact of sleep pollution can occur even in a much shorter time than the five-year period.