80% of students lose sleep thanks to night-time noise
A study has shown that students in shared accommodation suffer sleepless nights due to noise from housemates and from the street, with implications for their health and study performances
Acoustic discomfort
The findings are the results of research by two master’s students in engineering sciences at Antwerp University. Ruben de Bruyn and Thijs Driesen surveyed 130 students living in student rooms, mostly in Antwerp, about the acoustic comfort of their rooms.
The biggest source of disturbance is airborne noise, which bothers about half of the students. This mostly consists of voices and sounds from a radio or TV in other bedrooms or in shared spaces like the hall or kitchen. About one in three students is disturbed by street noise and contact noise, like footsteps or chairs being pushed.
“Our research shows that most accommodation for students is not acoustically comfortable,” De Bruyn told Gazet van Antwerpen. “Earplugs are the most commonly used tools to reduce the noise nuisance.”
The consequences of noise nuisance can be far-reaching, including hearing loss and sleep problems. These health effects can lead to social problems and deteriorating study performances.
Photo: Ingimage
