# RF-010 — Exposure related changes in sleep EEG

Why this matters
Electrical recordings can reveal brain responses that a person may not feel. In this small blinded study, the clearest sleep-brainwave change occurred at the higher exposure; sleep structure was unchanged. Its contribution is a measurable response whose significance for sleep and health still needs to be established.

Id: RF-010

Author: Regel et al.

Full Authors: SABINE J. REGEL; GILBERTE TINGUELY; JÜRGEN SCHUDERER; MARTIN ADAM; NIELS KUSTER; HANS-PETER LANDOLT; PETER ACHERMANN

Year: 2007

Title: Pulsed radio-frequency electromagnetic fields: dose-dependent effects on sleep, the sleep EEG and cognitive performance

Journal: journal of sleep research

Citation: REGEL SJ, TINGUELY G, SCHUDERER J, ADAM M, KUSTER N, LANDOLT HP, ACHERMANN P. Pulsed radio-frequency electromagnetic fields: dose-dependent effects on sleep, the sleep EEG and cognitive performance. Journal of Sleep Research. 2007;16(3):253-258. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2869.2007.00603.x.

Doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2869.2007.00603.x

Pmid: 17716273

Topic: Brain activity and sleep

Verification Group: Original text reviewed

Record Role: Original text reviewed

Featured: True

Exposure: 900 MHz pulse-modulated signal; 0.2 or 5 W/kg peak SAR averaged over 10 g; 30 minutes before sleep.

Design: 15 healthy men; randomised double-blind crossover, one week between sessions.

Finding: A significant exposure-level trend occurred in fast spindle EEG power and 1-back task speed. Only the 5 W/kg EEG condition differed significantly from sham in the separate post-hoc comparison.

Boundary: The 0.2 W/kg condition alone is not a demonstrated harmful threshold. Sleep architecture was unchanged; some cognitive outcomes improved.

Related: Zurich programme; RF-012 related. A physiological response is not equivalent to diagnosed disease.

Protection Question: Does a reproducible change in sleeping brain activity affect sleep quality or next-day function? A dose-related EEG response without demonstrated sleep impairment does not itself identify a harmful exposure level.

Access: Full indexed article body reviewed

Locator: Results; Figures 1-3; Table 1 dosimetry caption

Notice: Primary PubMed linked-notice record checked 20 Oct 2026; no correction, concern or retraction linked at check. This is not an exhaustive publisher-history certification.

Funding: Not established from retrieved material.

Conflicts: Not established from retrieved material.

Source Url: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2007.00603.x

Retrieval Links: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2007.00603.x | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17716273/

Verification Date: 2026-10-20