The positive impact of naturally soundscaping a noisy urban space on same-night sleep in working adults.

The positive impact of naturally soundscaping a noisy urban space on same-night sleep in working adults. | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article The positive impact of naturally soundscaping a noisy urban space on same-night sleep in working adults. Jit Wei Aaron Ang, Syaheed B. Jabar, Elliot Chan, Bhan Lam, Zhen Ting Ong, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8014144/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Mental fatigue is a common problem for working professionals in dense urban environments. Although urban green spaces—such as rooftop gardens—can support psychological restoration, this effect is often undermined by urban noise. Previous research has suggested that adding natural sounds like birdsong can enhance the (subjective) self-assessed pleasantness of these spaces. We here expand this line of research by examining immediate and longer-term (same-day, same-night, and next-day) (objective) physiological benefits of naturally soundscaped interventions. In a controlled field experiment in Singapore, working professionals took a 30-minute break at a rooftop biophilic gazebo exposed to heavy traffic noise. The intervention and control groups had identical instructions and experience, with the exception that for the intervention group, the environment was covertly enhanced using a validated system broadcasting natural sounds, including bird calls. Heart rate variability (HRV), a physiological marker of mental engagement and recovery, was measured via wearable devices before and after the gazebo visit, and during sleep that night. Participants exposed to the natural soundscape exhibited significantly higher HRV after the visit, a metric associated with improved physiological recovery. Critically, this benefit persisted till up to two hours after sleep onset on the same night but was no longer evident the following day. These findings suggest that even modest, low-cost acoustic interventions can temporarily cushion the physiological toll of urban noise. The study highlights the potential for integrating scalable soundscape design into urban planning to enhance mental recovery in public spaces. Health sciences/Health care Biological sciences/Neuroscience Biological sciences/Psychology Social science/Psychology Fatigue Heart rate variability Soundscaping Recovery Photoplethysmography Wearables Urban augmentation Urban noise Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 23 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Feb, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 09 Feb, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 27 Nov, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 26 Nov, 2025 First submitted to journal 02 Nov, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8014144","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":588933722,"identity":"d6becf89-3b0d-409e-baf1-ced9d099bda9","order_by":0,"name":"Jit Wei Aaron Ang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA8klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACxmYQaQAimA9AhA4Q1MIM08KWAFFNSAvQcBiDx4A4Lczt/MckPhQwyJvzr/n2+GMbgxzfjQTmj1/wO4xNcoYBg+HOGW+3GxxsYzCWvJHAJi1DQMttoJMYN9w4u00CqCVxA1ALswQhLX8MGOw33DjzDKSlHqiF+TNBLcAQS9xwvocNpCXB4EYCg+QH/FrMf/YYSCRvuMFmJnHmnIThzDMP26Tx6GAw7D/42ODHHxvbDecPP5OoKLOR5zuefPjjD3xaGsAU0O0SCVAGA2MDMw8eLfJwFv8BJOfis2UUjIJRMApGHAAAMKtPSqs41ZEAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Nanyang Technological University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jit","middleName":"Wei Aaron","lastName":"Ang","suffix":""},{"id":588933723,"identity":"aad94ef1-19c3-440b-a460-e7ba84b7404a","order_by":1,"name":"Syaheed B. 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Although urban green spaces\u0026mdash;such as rooftop gardens\u0026mdash;can support psychological restoration, this effect is often undermined by urban noise. Previous research has suggested that adding natural sounds like birdsong can enhance the (subjective) self-assessed pleasantness of these spaces. We here expand this line of research by examining immediate and longer-term (same-day, same-night, and next-day) (objective) physiological benefits of naturally soundscaped interventions. In a controlled field experiment in Singapore, working professionals took a 30-minute break at a rooftop biophilic gazebo exposed to heavy traffic noise. The intervention and control groups had identical instructions and experience, with the exception that for the intervention group, the environment was covertly enhanced using a validated system broadcasting natural sounds, including bird calls. 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