The effect of local extremely low frequency magnetic field on student sleepiness.
Ayoobi F, Shamsizadeh A, Shafiei SA. · 2017
View Original AbstractBrief magnetic field exposure at power line levels slowed reaction times in healthy young adults, indicating measurable cognitive effects.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed 65 young adults to magnetic fields similar to power lines for three minutes. Participants showed slower reaction times after exposure compared to fake treatment, while sleepiness levels remained unchanged. This demonstrates that brief magnetic field exposure can impair cognitive performance and brain function.
Why This Matters
This study adds to growing evidence that ELF magnetic fields can measurably affect brain function, even at exposure levels (200 microTesla) comparable to what you might experience near power lines or electrical appliances. The finding that reaction times slowed after just 3 minutes of exposure is particularly significant because reaction time is a fundamental measure of cognitive processing speed. While the researchers found mixed results on sleepiness measures, the consistent effect on reaction time suggests these fields can influence neural activity in ways that affect performance. What this means for you is that chronic exposure to similar magnetic field levels in your daily environment could potentially impact your cognitive function over time, though more research is needed to understand long-term effects.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 0.2 mG
- Source/Device
- 10, 14 and 18 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 3 minutes
Exposure Context
This study used 0.2 mG for magnetic fields:
- 10Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 2Kx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 1 mG
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
The current study aimed to investigate the impact of local extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) on sleep and drowsiness in healthy young adults.
Sixty-five young adults (32 males and 31 females, aged 18–24, participated voluntarily in this rando...
Minimum reaction time after exposure to ELF-MF increased compared to that before exposure (P = 0.03)...
The results of this study demonstrated that exposure to ELF-MF may influence reaction time in young healthy people. However, as the results of ESS and SSS were not different between exposure and non-exposure groups, further studies using larger sample sizes are recommended in order to reach better interpretations of the effects of ELF-MF on sleepiness in young people.
Show BibTeX
@article{f_2017_the_effect_of_local_599,
author = {Ayoobi F and Shamsizadeh A and Shafiei SA.},
title = {The effect of local extremely low frequency magnetic field on student sleepiness.},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.1080/01616412.2017.1380931},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01616412.2017.1380931},
}