Your phone listens to your coughing at night, and a study links it to city air
Researchers link increased fine particulate matter to coughing episodes recorded via sleep apps
Translated by Qiyas from الأنباء — Original source
A phone placed near the bed may offer an unexpected indicator of outdoor air quality. Researchers used audio recordings collected by a sleep-tracking app to examine the relationship between air pollution and nighttime coughing, finding a clear association between higher particulate matter levels and increased coughing episodes.
The study, involving researchers from the University of Cambridge, Tsinghua University, and Sleep Cycle, analyzed cough sounds passively recorded via the microphones of app users’ smartphones in 32 cities across 12 countries over approximately 500 days. The data were aggregated at the city level, without relying on recordings from any single individual.
After accounting for factors such as weather and influenza prevalence, the researchers found that every 10-microgram-per-cubic-meter increase in PM2.5 concentration was associated with an approximate 2.4% rise in the rate of nighttime coughing.
This increase was observed even at relatively low levels of pollution.
However, the researchers emphasize that the study is observational, meaning it reveals an association but does not by itself prove that pollution is the direct cause of every coughing episode. The University of Cambridge stated that the findings open the door to using smartphones and everyday apps to monitor broad, population-level health indicators linked to the environment.
