Increased air pollution linked to more night-time coughing, UK-led study finds
‘Day-to-day’ symptom of harmful emissions, which in turn can disrupt sleep, can be overlooked, say researchers
TL;DR
- Increased air pollution is linked to more night-time coughing, disturbing sleep.
- Research used anonymized data from a sleep-tracking app across 32 cities over 18 months.
- High daily particle pollution was consistently associated with increased coughing.
- Coughing increases were noted even at pollution levels below WHO guidelines.
- Severe pollution spikes, like those from LA wildfires, showed a clear increase in coughing, with some delayed effects.
- Episodic air pollution from sources like fireworks also correlated with higher cough rates.
- The study emphasizes the global health relevance of air pollution and the need to address potential chronic effects of long-term low-concentration exposure.