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Sleep & Circadian Rhythm308 citations

Exposure to pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic field during waking affects human sleep EEG.

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Huber R, Graf T, Cote KA, Wittmann L, Gallmann E, Matter D, Schuderer J, Kuster N, Borbely AA, Achermann P · 2000

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A 30-minute exposure to 900 MHz EMF before sleep increased EEG spectral power during subsequent non-rapid eye movement sleep in healthy young men.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed healthy young male subjects for 30 minutes to EMF at 900 MHz and a spatial peak specific absorption rate of 1 W/kg during the waking period before sleep. Compared with a sham exposure control condition, EEG spectral power during non-rapid eye movement sleep was increased, with the maximum rise in the 9.75-11.25 Hz and 12.5-13.25 Hz bands during the initial part of sleep. The researchers concluded that the changes of brain function induced by pulsed high-frequency EMF outlast the exposure period.

Why This Matters

The study aimed to investigate whether the electromagnetic field emitted by digital radiotelephone handsets affects brain physiology. Exposure during waking modified the EEG during subsequent sleep. Unilateral exposure induced no hemispheric asymmetry of EEG power. The researchers noted that these changes correspond to those obtained in a previous study where EMF was intermittently applied during sleep.

Exposure Details

SAR
1 W/kg
Source/Device
900 MHz
Exposure Duration
30 minutes

Exposure Context

This study used 1 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):

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 Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 1 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 2 times higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 900 MHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 900 MHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The aim of the study was to investigate whether the electromagnetic field (EMF) emitted by digital radiotelephone handsets affects brain physiology.

Healthy, young male subjects were exposed for 30 min to EMF (900 MHz; spatial peak specific absorpti...

Compared with the control condition with sham exposure, spectral power of the EEG in non-rapid eye m...

The present results demonstrate that exposure during waking modifies the EEG during subsequent sleep. Thus the changes of brain function induced by pulsed high-frequency EMF outlast the exposure period.

Cite This Study
Huber R, Graf T, Cote KA, Wittmann L, Gallmann E, Matter D, Schuderer J, Kuster N, Borbely AA, Achermann P (2000). Exposure to pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic field during waking affects human sleep EEG. Neuroreport 11(15):3321-3325, 2000.
Show BibTeX
@article{r_2000_exposure_to_pulsed_highfrequency_1036,
  author = {Huber R and Graf T and Cote KA and Wittmann L and Gallmann E and Matter D and Schuderer J and Kuster N and Borbely AA and Achermann P},
  title = {Exposure to pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic field during waking affects human sleep EEG.},
  year = {2000},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11059895/},
}
PubMed: 11059895

Cited By (308 papers)

View all 308 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

The subjects were healthy young male subjects.
Subjects were exposed for 30 minutes to 900 MHz EMF at a spatial peak specific absorption rate of 1 W/kg during the waking period preceding sleep.
EEG spectral power during non-rapid eye movement sleep was increased compared with sham exposure, with the maximum rise in the 9.75-11.25 Hz and 12.5-13.25 Hz bands during the initial part of sleep.
Unilateral exposure induced no hemispheric asymmetry of EEG power.
The researchers concluded that the changes of brain function induced by pulsed high-frequency EMF outlast the exposure period.