According to recent research, air pollution, increased levels of carbon dioxide and ambient noise may have an adverse effect on the quality of sleep.   

The research involved 62 participants monitoring their activity and sleep cycle. This showed that air pollution, carbon dioxide, noise, and temperature are linked to lower sleep efficiency.

Work and family obligations affect our sleep cycle while urbanization and climate change leading to environmental change effect the quality of sleep.

Inadequate sleep due to frequent disruption affects work productivity and creates other health issues. It also has been linked to a higher risk of chronic diseases including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, and dementia.

Another research investigated the effects of planting 8,000 mature trees on the cardiovascular health of Louisville residents in US.

The research was conducted on the environmental variables comparing sleep efficiency to the highest 20 percent of levels versus 20 percent of levels.

The research showed that high noise was associated with a 4.7 percent decline in sleep efficiency, high carbon dioxide with a 4 percent reduction, high temperature with a 3.4 percent decline, and high PM2.5 with a 3.2 percent reduction.

We may think that air pollution, increased levels of carbon dioxide and ambient noise may not have serious consequences but these may be affecting our sleep night after night.