Environmental noise is considered one of the main risks for physical and mental health and
well-being, with a significant associated burden of disease in Europe. This work aims to explore the
main sources of noise exposure at home and its effect on well-being in northern Spain. A transversal
opinion study has been performed through a closed questionnaire. The questionnaire included three
different parts: sociodemographic data, noise disturbance, and the 5-item World Health Organization
Well-Being Index (WHO-5). A Binary Logistics Regression model was performed to analyze the
relationship between noise exposure and well-being. Overall, 16.6% of the participants consider that
the noise isolation of their homes is bad or very bad. The noise generated by the neighbors (air and
impact noise) is considered the most disturbing indoor noise source, while street works are the most
disturbing outdoor noise source in urban areas and road traffic is the most disturbing in rural areas.
People who indicate that noise interferes with their life at home have a worse score on the WHO-5
(decreased perception of well-being). The exposure to outdoor noise (specifically the noise coming
from the street and trains), internal impact noise produced by neighbors, and in general, the noise
that wakes you up, is related to receiving a worse score in the WHO-5 (p < 0.05). Administrative
bodies must ensure that laws regulating at-home noise levels, which are continually being updated
with stricter restrictions, are enforced.
