Cambridge study links air pollution to nighttime coughing via sleep app data
Researchers from the University of Cambridge, Tsinghua University, and Sleep Cycle analysed coughing sounds from 32 cities in 12 countries over 500 days and found that higher daily air pollution levels were strongly linked to nighttime coughing levels, even below WHO recommended limits. When pollution levels rose by 10 micrograms of particulate matter per cubic metre, coughing levels rose by 2.4%. The study, published in Communications Health, used cough sounds passively recorded by the Sleep Cycle mobile app and accounted for external factors such as weather and influenza levels.
