Air pollution is affecting how well we sleep, according to the findings of an international evidence review. Dr Junxin Li, of the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, who led the review, said: “For years our team has been studying sleep in older adults living in the Baltimore area. Outdoor air quality may change block-by-block and, in some residences, we noticed exhaust fumes from nearby traffic. This led us to a simple but critical question: could the air older adults breathe indoors – as well as just outside their front door – be influencing how well they sleep?”
Li’s team searched for studies from around the globe. Focusing on people over 45 years old, they found 25 high quality studies since 2015. These looked at 1.2 million people in six countries including China, India, the US and Germany.
