Awakening effects of simulated sonic booms and aircraft noise on men and women

In the course of several studies, 22 male and female subjects, ranging in age from 5–75 years, have been stimulated while asleep by simulated sonic booms (ranging in intensity from 0·6 to 5·0 lb/ft² (239·5 N/m²), as if measured out of doors at ground level) and by indoor recordings of subsonic jet flyover noise (ranging in intensity from 101 to 119 PNdB, as if measured out of doors). The summarized results of these studies suggest that (i) children (5–8 years of age) are uniformly unaffected by noise during sleep; (ii) older subjects are more sensitive to noise than younger subjects; (iii) women are more sensitive to noise during sleep than are men; (iv) within an age group, individuals may vary widely with respect to their relative sensitivities to noise during sleep; and (v) the frequency of behavioral awakening is a function of the intensity of both the simulated sonic booms and the subsonic jet flyover noise.