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Abstract

Infant sleep machines (ISMs) are devices used to help infants fall asleep faster and stay asleep for longer amounts of time, yet they can often be too loud for infantile ears, which could potentially be dangerous. This research aimed to minimize the risks of infant sleep machines without reducing the effectiveness of the infant sleep machines themselves through the use of acoustic panels. Based on previous studies, it was hypothesized that the acoustic panels would reduce the noise levels of the ISM to less than recommended limits of 50 dB-A. A specific corner of a designated room was prepared with a crib with a sound level meter placed inside and a table housing the ISM all to simulate a sleeping infant being exposed to the white noise from the ISM. After 30 trials were conducted without any soundproofing, another 30 trials were conducted after acoustic panels were placed on the walls behind the crib in order to reduce the noise levels of the ISM. Significant differences were found between the two groups, with the t-statistic of 30.9688 being much higher than the critical value of 1.697, and the p-value being less than 0.001, all with an alpha of 0.05. Finally, it was found that acoustic panels did reduce the noise levels to below less than 50 dB-A, which means the hypothesis was supported. This shows that acoustic panels have a significant effect on noise reduction for infants and are a safe, inexpensive option for parents.

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