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Sleep & Circadian Rhythm

Effects of everyday radiofrequency electromagnetic-field exposure on sleep quality: a cross-sectional study

No Effects Found

Mohler E, Frei P, Braun-Fahrländer C, Fröhlich J, Neubauer G, Röösli M; Qualifex Team. · 2010

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This large Swiss study found no link between everyday RF EMF exposure and sleep problems in the general population.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Swiss researchers studied 1,375 people to see if everyday exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMFs) from cell towers, mobile phones, and cordless phones affected their sleep quality. They found no association between RF EMF exposure and sleep disturbances or daytime sleepiness, even among the 10% most exposed participants. This large population study suggests that typical environmental RF EMF exposure doesn't impair sleep quality.

Study Details

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between exposure to various sources of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMFs) in the everyday environment and sleep quality, which is a common public health concern.

We assessed self-reported sleep disturbances and daytime sleepiness in a random population sample of...

In multivariable regression models, adjusted for relevant confounders, no associations between envi...

The results of this large cross-sectional study did not indicate an impairment of subjective sleep quality due to exposure from various sources of RF EMFs in everyday life.

Cite This Study
Mohler E, Frei P, Braun-Fahrländer C, Fröhlich J, Neubauer G, Röösli M; Qualifex Team. (2010). Effects of everyday radiofrequency electromagnetic-field exposure on sleep quality: a cross-sectional study Radiat Res. 174(3):347-356, 2010.
Show BibTeX
@article{e_2010_effects_of_everyday_radiofrequency_3252,
  author = {Mohler E and Frei P and Braun-Fahrländer C and Fröhlich J and Neubauer G and Röösli M; Qualifex Team.},
  title = {Effects of everyday radiofrequency electromagnetic-field exposure on sleep quality: a cross-sectional study},
  year = {2010},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20726726/},
}
PubMed: 20726726

Cited By (55 papers)

View all 55 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2010 Swiss study of 1,375 people found no association between everyday radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure from cell towers and sleep disturbances. Even the 10% most exposed participants showed no increased risk for sleep problems or excessive daytime sleepiness.
Research from Switzerland involving 1,375 participants found that cordless phone use was not associated with decreased sleep quality. The study examined various RF EMF sources in everyday life and found no impairment of subjective sleep quality.
The 2010 Qualifex study found that even the 10% most exposed participants had no significantly increased risk for sleep disturbances. Their estimated risk was 1.11 (95% CI: 0.50 to 2.44), indicating no meaningful association with poor sleep.
Swiss researchers found no association between environmental far-field RF EMF exposure and excessive daytime sleepiness in their study of 1,375 people. The most exposed participants actually showed a slightly lower risk (0.58) for daytime sleepiness.
The large cross-sectional study by Mohler and colleagues concluded that results did not indicate an impairment of subjective sleep quality due to exposure from various sources of RF EMFs in everyday life, including cell towers and phones.