In this very small study of 17 healthy volunteers in the Netherlands, scientists measured their sleep as they either slept in a closed room or with doors and windows open. The story claims the volunteers “slept better” with windows and door open, but gave no numbers for the amount of improvement, and didn’t do enough to let readers know this study had a lot of limitations.
Sleep quality can make an enormous difference in the risk of many chronic disorders, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control. While we welcome a discussion of sleep quality, this story about a small study provides very little context for readers on how much air quality really plays a role in sleep quality.
The opening of windows and doors has no cost.
The story doesn’t quantify what “improved” sleep quality means, only generalities.
For example, the story claims improvement in fewer awakenings:
“The number of awakenings and sleep efficiency improved as carbon dioxide levels decreased.”
But we are not given any way to understand the magnitude–how much did these things improve?
There appear to be no immediate potential harms, but the story mentions indirect ones like extra noise or concerns about security.
The story doesn’t sufficiently establish the quality of the evidence here–this was a small study, with lots of potential cofounders, which are factors that could have thrown off the measurements. The story mentions one limitation–the sleep monitors often fell of the study participants. But more needed to be said that this study isn’t rigorous enough to determine that sleeping with open windows or doors leads to improved sleep.
A sleep researcher who wasn’t involved in the study was interviewed, and we could detect no conflicts of interest.
The story doesn’t provide alternative treatments known to improve sleep quality, such as establishing good sleep hygiene.
Windows and doors are widely available, and the story mentions that opening them might not work if there are noise or security concerns.
The story does not establish what makes this research novel. It’s fairly well-known that indoor air quality can be poor, and that ventilation can help circulate the air.
The story does not appear to rely solely on a news release, and quotes a researcher who was not part of the project.
Systematic, Criteria-Driven
The inimitable @garyschwitzer has published an opinion piece on how health journalism contributes to public health outcomes - and why the industry works the way it does.
US-centric, but Australian journos will find this helpful.
#aushealth https://t.co/zBDaOOsMGx
In the latest installment of @JAMA_current's series on the public's eroding trust in health care, @garyschwitzer calls for improving the accuracy and quality of health journalism https://t.co/kgCNz0BTgq
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