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- Influence of indoor air quality on sleep quality of university students in LisbonPublication . Ramos, João; Belo, Joana; Silva, Dário; Diogo, Carlos; Almeida, Susana Marta; Canha, NunoSleep is a crucial aspect of human daily life since it allows us to recover from physical and psychological fatigue and its lack can bring several consequences to human health. People spend around one-third of their life sleeping but, despite that, their exposure to pollutants during sleep is often neglected. Specifically, students typically change their habits after entering university, due to the freedom that they are allowed at this stage of their lives. These habits often include their sleep patterns, which not only affects their health but their academic performance as well. This study aimed to assess the indoor air quality (IAQ) that university students are exposed to in their sleeping environment and how it affects their sleep quality. Firstly, an online survey, based on standardized questionnaires, was conducted on a sample of 1040 individuals to characterize sleep habits and, ultimately, to provide an overview of the sleep quality of the Portuguese population. Students were one of the population groups that showed worse results: only 31% had good sleep quality and only 62% showed good sleep health. Afterward, a study to assess sleep quality (by actigraphy and standardized questionnaires) and IAQ (by a monitoring unit based on low-cost sensors) during the sleeping period of two consecutive nights of 13 students in Lisbon university dorms was conducted. Mean levels of CO2 and VOCs above the established legislation were found during sleep, indicating that ventilation conditions were not sufficient to keep an acceptable IAQ. The temperature was also out of the acceptable comfort range during 44% of the sleeping time. The perceived sleep quality of students was found to be negatively associated with the number of awakenings and the mean levels of carbon dioxide and relative humidity during the sleeping period. These results confirm previous findings where some IAQ parameters may influence the sleep quality of the individuals, highlighting the importance to focus on the IAQ of sleeping environments as a strategy to improve the sleep quality of individuals.
- Compliance of indoor air quality during sleep with legislation and guidelines: a case study of Lisbon dwellingsPublication . Canha, Nuno; Alves, Ana Carolina; Marta, Catarina Simão; Lage, Joana; Belo, Joana; Faria, Tiago; Cabo-Verde, Sandra; Viegas, Carla; Alves, Célia; Almeida, Susana MartaThis study aimed to provide a comprehensive characterization of the indoor air quality during the sleeping period of 10 couples at Lisbon dwellings, using a multi-pollutant approach, and to understand how the compliance with legislation and guidelines was to assure good indoor air quality. The assessment of indoor air quality was conducted in the cold season using real-time monitors during the sleeping period for comfort parameters (temperature and relative humidity) and air pollutants (carbon dioxide - CO2, carbon monoxide - CO, formaldehyde - CH2O, total volatile organic compounds - VOCs, and particulate matter - PM2.5 and PM10), together with an active sampling of bioaerosols (fungi and bacteria) before and after the sleeping period. Lower compliance (less than 50% of the cases) with the Portuguese legislation was found for temperature, CO2 (3440 ± 1610 mg m-3), VOCs (1.79 ± 0.99 mg m-3), and both bioaerosol types. In 70% of the cases, PM2.5 (15.3 ± 9.1 μg m-3) exceeded the WHO guideline of 10 μg m-3. All bedrooms presented air change rates above the recommended minimum value of 0.7 h-1, highlighting that good indoor air quality during sleep is not guaranteed.