Effects of mobile phone exposure (GSM 900 and WCDMA/UMTS) on polysomnography based sleep quality: An intra- and inter-individual perspective.
Danker-Hopfe H, Dorn H, Bolz T, Peter A, Hansen ML, Eggert T, Sauter C. · 2015
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation measurably altered sleep patterns in 90% of study participants, suggesting individual vulnerability varies widely.
Plain English Summary
German researchers exposed 30 young men to cell phone radiation from GSM 900MHz and WCDMA/UMTS devices while monitoring their sleep with medical-grade equipment. They found that 90% of participants showed measurable changes in their sleep patterns, with the most consistent effect being increased REM sleep in about one-third of the subjects. The study suggests that cell phone radiation can affect individual sleep quality, though the changes varied greatly between people.
Why This Matters
This research adds important nuance to our understanding of how cell phone radiation affects sleep. What makes this study particularly valuable is its focus on individual responses rather than just group averages. The finding that 90% of participants showed some measurable sleep changes is striking, even though the specific effects varied widely between individuals. The consistent increase in REM sleep in one-third of subjects suggests a biological mechanism at work, which the researchers theorize may be thermal in nature. What this means for you is that your nightly exposure to cell phone radiation may be affecting your sleep quality in ways that are difficult to detect without sophisticated monitoring equipment. The reality is that we all respond differently to EMF exposure, which explains why some people report sleep problems near their phones while others don't notice any effects.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: GSM 900MHz
Study Details
In a double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled cross-over study possible effects of electromagnetic fields emitted by pulsed Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) 900 and Wideband Code-Division Multiple Access (WCDMA)/Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (WCDMA/UMTS) devices on sleep were analysed.
Thirty healthy young men (range 18-30 years) were exposed three times per exposure condition while t...
Data analyses at the individual level indicate that RF-EMF effects are observed in 90% of the indivi...
The results underline that sleep of individuals can be affected differently. The observations found here may indicate an underlying thermal mechanism of RF-EMF on human REM sleep. Nevertheless, the effect of an increase in stage R sleep in one third of the individuals does not necessarily indicate a disturbance of sleep.
Show BibTeX
@article{h_2015_effects_of_mobile_phone_2013,
author = {Danker-Hopfe H and Dorn H and Bolz T and Peter A and Hansen ML and Eggert T and Sauter C.},
title = {Effects of mobile phone exposure (GSM 900 and WCDMA/UMTS) on polysomnography based sleep quality: An intra- and inter-individual perspective.},
year = {2015},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26618505/},
}