Relationship Between Workplace Noise Exposure and Sleep in Tanzania

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Sleep Medicine
• Environmental Health

Background:

• High noise levels in daytime workplaces may disrupt worker sleep, but evidence remains inconclusive.
• Workplace noise exposure is a significant concern, particularly in developing countries with high industrial noise levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare sleep disturbances between workers exposed to high and low daytime noise levels in a developing country.
• To investigate the relationship between occupational noise exposure and self-reported sleep variables, including insomnia and daytime sleepiness.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 181 high-noise-exposed industrial workers and 72 low-noise-exposed office cleaners in Tanzania.
• Data collected via interviews using questionnaires on sociodemographics, sleep (Bergen Insomnia Scale), and daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale).
• Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, t-tests, Kruskal-Wallis, chi-square, and logistic regression.

Main Results:

• Workers exposed to high noise had a mean Bergen Insomnia Scale score of 13.2, with 40.3% reporting insomnia and 39.8% reporting excessive daytime sleepiness.
• Workers exposed to low noise had a mean Bergen Insomnia Scale score of 15.4, with 51.4% reporting insomnia and 41.7% reporting excessive daytime sleepiness.
• No significant differences in insomnia or excessive daytime sleepiness were found between high- and low-noise-exposed groups after adjusting for confounders.

Conclusions:

• No significant differences in self-reported sleep variables were observed between daytime high- and low-noise-exposed workers.
• Study findings suggest occupational noise may not be a primary driver of sleep disturbances in this context.
• Results should be interpreted cautiously due to reliance on self-reported data and potential unmeasured confounding factors.