Medical/biological Study (experimental study)

Do mobile phone base stations affect sleep of residents? Results from an experimental double-blind sham-controlled field study. med./biol.

PubMed Entry

Journal web site

Aim of study (according to author)
To study the effects of electromagnetic fields of mobile phone base stations on objective and subjective sleep quality.
Background/further details:
397 residents (aged 18-81 years; 50.9 % female) from 10 German sites, where no mobile phone service was available, were exposed to sham exposure and GSM base station signals by an experimental base station while their sleep was monitored at their homes. Participants were randomly exposed to real or sham exposure for five nights each. 335 subjects were included in objective sleep quality analysis and 365 subjects in subjective sleep quality.

Endpoint

• sleep: subjective and objective sleep quality

Exposure
General category: mobile communication system, digital mobile phone, cell phone base station, GSM, wireless transmitter (RF)

Field characteristics	Parameters
900 - 1800 MHz exposure duration: 5 nights

Exposed system:
human
whole body exposure

Methods
Endpoint/Measurement parameters/Methodology

• sleep: subjective (questionnaire; visual analog scale; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index ) and objective (EEG, EOG) sleep quality
• others: questionnaire on general public's fears and anxieties concerning possible risks of RF-EMF from mobile telecommunication

Main outcome of study (according to author)
The analysis of the subjective and objective sleep data did not reveal any significant differences between the real exposure and sham exposure. During sham exposure nights, objective and subjective sleep efficiency, wake after sleep onset, and subjective sleep latency were significantly worse in participants with concerns about possible health risks resulting from base stations than in participants who were not concerned.
In conclusion, the study did not provide any evidence for short-term physiological effects of electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phone base stations on objective and subjective sleep quality. However, the findings indicate that mobile phone base stations as such (not the electromagnetic fields) may have a significant negative impact on sleep quality.

(Study character: medical/biological study, experimental study, full/main study, double-blind study, cross-over study)

Study funded by

• Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS; Federal Office for Radiation Protection), Salzgitter, Germany
• Deutsches Mobilfunk Forschungsprogramm (DMF; German Mobile Phone Research Programme) at Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS)

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