Aircraft noise effects on sleep: Substantiation of the DLR protection concept for airport Leipzig/Halle

The Institute of Aerospace Medicine at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) investi-gated the influence of nocturnal aircraft noise on sleep in polysomnographical labora-tory and field studies between 1999 and 2004. The results of the field study were used by the Regional Council of Leipzig (Germany) for the establishment of a noise protection plan in the official approval process for the expansion of Leipzig/Halle air-port to an international freight hub. Of the results, special attention is given to the ex-posure-response relationship between the maximum sound pressure level of an air-craft noise event and the probability to wake up, which was used to establish noise protection zones directly related to the effects of noise on sleep. These protection zones differ qualitatively and quantitatively from zones that are solely based on acoustical criteria. The noise protection plan for Leipzig/Halle airport is presented and substantiated: (1) on average, there should be less than one additional awakening induced by aircraft noise, (2) awakenings recalled in the morning should be avoided as much as possible, and (3) aircraft noise should interfere as little as possible with the process of falling asleep again. Issues concerned with the representativeness of the study sample are discussed