Newark is sleepless in New Jersey

The ever-changing face of a city is turning into a cosmos of urban development with multi-billion-dollar developments and 24/7 data centers with additional infrastructure changes are creating a higher level of noise and light pollution right on the doorsteps of the residents of that city.

That noise distraction and light pollution are affecting the sleep patterns of city residents.

So says a study conducted by Bringnox Blinds, which analyzed sleep data and regional noise and light pollution indices to identify the Top Sleepless Cities in the U.S.

It makes sense to believe that the new developments that are going up create noise pollution and contribute to light pollution. We have seen that all over the state of New Jersey, but according to the study, our own Newark, New Jersey, is ranked in the Top 10 for cities losing the most sleep.

Of the Top 10 Most Sleepless Cities in the country, Newark ranked second highest in Noise and Light Pollution with a level of 77.78, second only to Deltona, Florida.

If that was not enough,

Newark residents made 45,655 sleep-related searches per 100,000 people. Almost half spent time looking to solve sleep deprivation. Those two factors gave Newark an overall sleepless score of 84.05, putting them at number 10 on the sleepless city list.

The web of sleeplessness is growing here in New Jersey. Along the shore or places like Trenton, Jersey City and Hoboken the noise and light pollution are intensifying due to the heavy increase in development in those areas.

I have sleep deprivation; I have done the sleep apnea study twice and I do not have it. I have issues that keep me up at night and the toll it takes when you want to start your day refreshed and ready is very tough to achieve.

It is tough out there to block out the noise and the light. There are different methods that work for different people. I hope you find the one that works best for you.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host Big Joe Henry. Any opinions expressed are Big Joe’s own.

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