On Monday, December 15, 2025, Bruitparif published a study establishing a dramatic but undeniable link between noise levels and the consumption of sleeping pills in Île-de-France. Conducted between 2017 and 2019, the research reveals that more than 75% of residents sleep each night in noise. A situation that has dramatic consequences, even affecting the contents of their medicine cabinets.
Noise, day and night
We know that during the day, Paris and its suburbs are not calm places. Between the ring road, the metro, train stations, Parisians complaining, and construction work, we are often bombarded from all sides. And unfortunately, it seems that the night does not bring the expected silence for thousands of us. That's what was revealed in the d&.weekend Bruitparif and the regional health observatory.
Bruit nocturne : ces Franciliens poussés à prendre des médicaments pour dormir: Dans les zones urbaines densément peuplées, le bruit contribue à la détérioration de la qualité de vie des populations urbaines. Avec une manifestation principale :… https://t.co/EztehRPvKb pic.twitter.com/3YFM1RDDXl
— destinationsante.com (@destinationsant) December 16, 2025
According to a study conducted comparing noise levels and reimbursement rates of medications aimed at hypnotic effects by municipality or district, it appears that 510,000 people are being treated for chronic sleep disorders while, at the same time, 76% of the population is exposed to a noise level above the recommended averages in the evening.
An obvious cause-and-effect link
It didn’t take long for experts to draw a connection between these two facts, highlighting for the first time the consequences of this overexposure on sleep quality. The study mentions various transport (cars or airplanes), but also the terraces, which cause a exceedance of WHO recommendations: 45 dB maximum between 10 PM and 6 AM.
Malheureusement nos alertes sont depuis plusieurs années ignorées par @ACORDEBARD @Mairie10Paris @PSParis10 Le bruit n'est pas un problème de bourgeois mais de travailleurs ! Notre rue est une caisse de résonance ! Le bruit du brigitte bar le soir est souvent intolerable! https://t.co/aou660AQrH
— Collectif riverains rue Marie et Louise (@riverainscanal) December 16, 2025
To tackle this situation, various measures have been in the works for several months, such as in terms of bars and restaurants, with increased monitoring of construction in the capital, or by . These measures could initially help more than 15,000 people to go without medication.