Adults exposed to high levels of residential transportation noise from road traffic, trains, and aircraft face a higher risk of serious heart-related events and a greater likelihood of developing cardiovascular risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, even among people with healthy sleep, according to new, independent, preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2026 in Chicago.
The study, which analyzed data from more than 100,000 adults, found that exposure to transportation noise above 50 decibels was associated with an 8% to 10% increase in the development of major heart disease risk factors. The link between noise and cardiovascular events was similar for people with healthy and unhealthy sleep patterns, suggesting that healthy sleep does not counteract the adverse heart impacts of noise exposure.
“The key finding of our study is that the relationship between noise exposure and cardiovascular disease events, and the number of cardiovascular risk factors developed, was similar among people with and without unhealthy sleep,” said lead study author Joseph Nguyen, M.D., an internal medicine resident physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and a member of the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center in Boston. “We expected that disordered sleep would influence the relationship between noise exposure and heart disease. It was surprising to find that sleep health appeared to play no role.”
The research matters because cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death worldwide, and environmental factors such as noise are increasingly recognized as contributing to its burden. The World Health Organization states that noise is a public health risk and has set limits on noise exposure to help reduce these effects. The findings highlight the importance of limiting environmental noise exposure for all people with high noise exposure.
“People with noise exposure should consider strategies to reduce noise levels, such as installing thicker drywall, windows and doors in their home; placing bedrooms in the quietest areas of the house; planting dense trees and vegetation in the yard to absorb noise; and using earplugs during sleep,” Nguyen said.
The study adds to growing evidence that environmental stressors—including air pollution, noise, artificial light, chemical pollutants, and climate-related events—may be contributing to the significant burden of cardiovascular disease. A related American Heart Association scientific statement, Environmental Stressors and Cardiovascular Health: Acting Locally for Global Impact in a Changing World, underscores the need for stronger policies to reduce adverse environmental exposures and build durable infrastructure that emphasizes wellness.
“This study adds to the growing evidence that shows environmental factors such as air pollution, noise, artificial light, chemical pollutants and climate-related events may be contributing to the significant burden of cardiovascular disease as a leading cause of death worldwide,” said Keith Churchwell, M.D., FAHA, past volunteer president of the American Heart Association and co-author of the statement. “Creating stronger policies to reduce adverse environmental exposures and building durable infrastructure that emphasizes wellness, will help us tackle these environmental issues and help improve heart health, and create healthier, more sustainable communities for our children and our children’s children.”
The study included 108,051 adults enrolled in the Massachusetts General Brigham Biobank, with a median age of 57 years and 58% women. Transportation noise exposure was estimated using a U.S. Department of Transportation tool that measures average 24-hour noise levels near a person’s home. About one-third of participants (33%) were exposed to noise louder than 50 decibels, and 54.5% were exposed to noise louder than 45 decibels. The study has limitations, including its observational design, which cannot prove cause and effect.
The findings are considered preliminary until published as a full manuscript in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. For more information on cardiovascular risk factors, visit cardiovascular risk factors. Additional resources, including a release link and a Spanish news release, are available.
