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Sleep & Circadian Rhythm

Do mobile phone base stations affect sleep of residents? Results from an experimental double-blind sham-controlled field study

No Effects Found

Danker-Hopfe H, Dorn H, Bornkessel C, Sauter C · 2010

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Anxiety about cell towers disrupted sleep more than the electromagnetic fields themselves in this controlled study of 397 residents.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

German researchers studied nearly 400 people living near experimental cell towers to see if radio waves from base stations affect sleep quality. After monitoring participants for 12 nights with both real and fake tower signals, they found no measurable differences in sleep patterns between the two conditions. However, people who were worried about health risks from cell towers did sleep worse during all test nights, suggesting anxiety rather than electromagnetic fields was affecting their rest.

Exposure Information

A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 1.80 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 1.80 GHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

The study examined exposure from: Mobile Base stations(900–1,800 MHz) Duration: 5 nights

Study Details

The aim of the present double‐blind, sham‐controlled, balanced randomized cross‐over study was to disentangle effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) and non‐EMF effects of mobile phone base stations on objective and subjective sleep quality.

In total 397 residents aged 18–81 years (50.9% female) from 10 German sites, where no mobile phone s...

Analysis of the subjective and objective sleep data did not reveal any significant differences betwe...

The study did not provide any evidence for short‐term physiological effects of EMF emitted by mobile phone base stations on objective and subjective sleep quality. However, the results indicate that mobile phone base stations as such (not the electromagnetic fields) may have a significant negative impact on sleep quality

Cite This Study
Danker-Hopfe H, Dorn H, Bornkessel C, Sauter C (2010). Do mobile phone base stations affect sleep of residents? Results from an experimental double-blind sham-controlled field study Am J Hum Biol. 22(5):613-618, 2010.
Show BibTeX
@article{h_2010_do_mobile_phone_base_2745,
  author = {Danker-Hopfe H and Dorn H and Bornkessel C and Sauter C},
  title = {Do mobile phone base stations affect sleep of residents? Results from an experimental double-blind sham-controlled field study},
  year = {2010},
  doi = {10.1002/ajhb.21053},
  url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ajhb.21053},
}
DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.21053

Cited By (59 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

A 2010 German study of nearly 400 residents living near cell towers found no measurable differences in sleep quality when towers were active versus inactive. The research used experimental double-blind testing with both real and fake tower signals over 12 nights.
Yes, the German study found that people worried about health risks from cell towers slept significantly worse during all test nights, while the electromagnetic fields themselves showed no sleep effects. Anxiety appeared more harmful than the actual radiation.
Researchers monitored 400 people for 12 nights using experimental towers that alternated between real 900-1800 MHz signals and fake signals. Participants didn't know which nights had active radiation, creating a double-blind sham-controlled field study.
The 2010 German study tested 900-1800 MHz frequencies from mobile phone base stations. These are the standard frequencies used by GSM cellular networks that most people are exposed to from nearby cell towers.
No, objective sleep monitoring showed no significant differences in sleep efficiency, time to fall asleep, or nighttime awakenings between nights with active versus inactive cell towers. The physiological sleep data remained consistent regardless of electromagnetic field exposure.