Revealed: The 10 US cities where you'll get the WORST night's sleep...where does yours rank?
If you want to get a good night's sleep, then you probably want to keep away from Florida's most well-known coastal resort.
Miami has been deemed the noisiest city in the country, according to an analysis of average 24-hour noise levels in 50 major cities across the US.
Visitors can expect to hear sounds that reach 52 decibels (dB) — equivalent to the hum of an industrial refrigerator — when they try to nod off.
Unsurprisingly, the city that never sleeps also made the top ten list, although Boston was deemed to be more disruptive.
Chicago and Louisville in Kentucky were also culprits of sleep-killing noise.
The above graphic shows the ten cities with the most noise pollution at night
Experts linked the noises to traffic congestion in the cities, and also suggested that sounds from construction work could disrupt sleep.
For the report, by wellness firm Pure CBD Now, researchers extracted data from national database ArcGIS on noise pollution by city over a 24-hour period.
Noise pollution is measured by decibel meters placed at strategic points in cities — such as near traffic jams — which records dB levels throughout the night.
Forty-two cities in the analysis had more night-time noise than the World Health Organization recommended limit of 40dB — equivalent to the sound of light rain.
Only eight cities were found to have noise pollution levels below the WHO maximum.
These were: Raleigh, Colorado Springs, Las Vegas, Tucson, Jacksonville, Oklahoma City, Bakersfield and Virginia Beach.
Overall, all the cities studied had an average noise level of 42dB at night — or two dB above the WHO recommended level.
In the countryside, previous research has shown that noise levels hover around 20 to 30 dB over a 24-hour period — equivalent to the sound of leaves rustling.
Experts warn that the noises at night can cause people to wake up more and have a worse night's sleep
The CDC says everyone should get an average of seven to nine hours of sleep a night, although studies show one in three Americans do not manage this.
Experts said Miami was likely the noisiest city because it suffers from significant traffic congestion. There was also above average levels of construction work at the time of the study, which could also drive up its position in the rankings.
New York City — despite being known as the 'city that never sleeps' — came in third place.
Experts say this may be because of the size of the city, which features many more suburban quiet spots.
In Miami, on the other hand, the noise is far more concentrated.
At the other end of the scale, Virginia Beach was considered to be the quietest city.
Experts say this may be because the residential buildings are more spread out and the city has more parks.
Anthony Bautista, the CEO of Pure CBD Now, said noise at night was disrupting people's sleep.
'Urban areas tend to have higher noise pollution from traffic, night-life, and other urban activities, which can disrupt sleep.'
'Rural areas or neighborhoods with lower population density may offer quieter environments conducive to better sleep.'
| Rank | City, state | Average noise level (dB) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 --- WHO maximum --- 4344454647484950 | Miami, Florida Boston, Massachusetts New York, New York Chicago, Illinois Louisville, Kentucky Denver, Colorado San Francisco, California Minneapolis, Minnesota Long Beach, California Oakland, California Seattle, Washington Portland, Oregon Washington, D.C. Arlington, Texas Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Fresno, California Los Angeles, California Sacramento, California Memphis, Tennessee Houston, Texas Dallas, Texas San Jose, California Charlotte, North Carolina Columbus, Ohio Milwaukee, Wisconsin Detroit, Michigan San Antonio, Texas Atlanta, Georgia Indianapolis, Indiana Mesa, Arizona Baltimore, Maryland Wichita, Kansas Tulsa, Oklahoma San Diego, California Albuquerque, New Mexico Fort Worth, Texas Tampa, Florida Phoenix, Arizona Austin, Texas Kansas City, Missouri Omaha, Nebraska El Paso, Texas --- WHO maximum noise level 40dB --- Raleigh, North CarolinaColorado Springs, ColoradoLas Vegas, NevadaTucson, ArizonaJacksonville, FloridaOklahoma City, OklahomaBakersfield, CaliforniaVirginia Beach, Virginia | 52.31 49.28 48.93 48.18 47.95 46.86 46.58 46.05 45.81 45.59 44.98 44.75 44.66 44.66 44.3 44.05 43.96 43.69 43.36 42.97 42.89 42.62 42.6 42.54 42.53 42.43 42.36 42.19 41.94 41.87 41.82 41.6 41.37 41.18 41.02 40.85 40.84 40.67 40.65 40.61 40.11 40.07 ---WHO maximum --- 39.9939.7639.6239.5538.9638.6937.6936.7 |
