Impact of Noise from Heat Pumps on Sleep, Noise Annoyance, and Concentration in Healthy Adults in a Laboratory Setting

Objective: Residential air-source heat-pump (AHP) installations are increasing, yet their impacts on sleep and noise annoyance remain insufficiently understood. This study is the first to combine multi-night polysomnography (PSG) and daytime testing to assess the effects of AHP noise on sleep and daytime annoyance, concentration, and mood. Methods: The sleep study involved PSG examining sleep patterns and noise-associated arousals across three nights, each with a different condition: (1) no noise (baseline condition), (2) AHP noise levels simulating tilted windows, and (3) AHP noise levels simulating closed windows. The daytime study exposed subjects to AHP noise while reading texts, and responses were compared to a quiet baseline. Questionnaires measured sleep disturbance, noise annoyance, and concentration. Results: Out of the 42 initial subjects included, 2 discontinued for personal reasons. Forty subjects (f = 21, m = 19) completed both studies. In the sleep study, no differences were found for Total Sleep Time [418.20 min (363.10, 438.50), 408.20 min (352.90, 435.80), 405.70 min (375.00, 430.20)] or Sleep Efficiency [87.10% (75.60, 91.30), 85.00% (73.50, 90.70), 84.50% (78.10, 89.60)] across conditions. However, AHP noise with tilted windows led to significantly more noise-related arousals (7.60 ± 5.90 vs. 5.50 ± 3.60, pP< 0.050) than with closed windows. Sleep disturbance was significantly greater in the tilted window condition. Daytime exposure to AHP noise increased noise annoyance, concentration difficulties, and mood disturbances, with a pronounced effect of the order of conditions on annoyance when noise followed the quiet condition (2.58 ± 1.22 vs. 1.57 ± 0.60). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that residential AHP noise can impair both sleep parameters and daytime functioning, underscoring the need to consider its health impact in residential settings. Future studies should explore the long-term impact of noise exposure and potential interventions through -multicenter research. A laboratory setting limits the generalizability of the results.