Noise Pollution Effects on Your Health
We live in a world constantly exposed to noise pollution. Industrial development and technological advances have, in just over two hundred years, raised the environmental volume extremely high. This increase happened gradually, and as we witnessed this noise surge, we also learned to adjust to it.
More than a century ago, the famous bacteriologist and Nobel Prize winner Robert Koch was aware of this issue. He said that it would come a day when humans will have to fight noise as seriously as they fought the plague. His prediction fell on silent ears back then.
Nowadays it seems funny that the number one complaint of first train travelers was noise. It was a much quieter world than the one we live in today.
Our world is noisy, and these sounds are not only expressed in decibels. They not only come from cars, trains, and airplanes. Much of it comes from the constant flow of information and communication. We interact with noise on different levels, and it is starting to affect our health seriously.
Sources of Noise
Silence is a rare find. Even outdoors, in nature, complete and pure silence is unusual.
Noise pollution is increasing everywhere
According to research done by the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division of the United States National Park Services, noise pollution rises two to three times every thirty years.
The predominant reason for this increase is human activity on Earth. In the developed world, road traffic is the number one source of noise pollution. When it comes to noise levels, big cities are the worst. In the United States, around 97% of the population experiences road and air traffic noise.
Trends show us that the populations of the big cities around the world are likely to continue to increase. Countries such as India and China, are world leaders in urbanization. This overpopulation means that hundreds of millions of people are going to experience unhealthy noise levels in the future.
Internet, digital technologies, and 24-hour access to information and communication are the twenty-first century’s addition to noise pollution. These pollutants are not very loud, but they are incredibly successful in disturbing the much-needed silence.
Health Effects of Noise Pollution
We have all experienced the discomfort caused by loud sounds. Luckily, the exposure to such loud noise is usually very short. We either run away from the source of it, or it naturally lasts for a short time (e.g., explosion).
The kind of noise that worries health experts the most is the one that continually surrounds us. This type of sound is known as noise pollution, and the World Health Organization (WHO) warns of its link to heart disease, diabetes, dementia, loss of hearing, and depression.
Some medical experts state that exposure to noise louder than 60 decibels increases the risk of heart disease. For comparison, a running car engine produces 70 decibels.
What to Do About It?
Unfortunately, the omnipresent noise around us doesn’t have a turn-off and on switch. It will probably take decades before this growing problem is solved successfully.
Noise damages your health whether you feel it or not
You can, and you should, do something about your exposure to noise pollution. Many experts suggest meditation and mindfulness. These practices might not be something that you see yourself practicing. But, try to spend more time away in nature or as far as possible from urban areas (a walk in the park is better than a walk on a busy street).
Finally, take a break from being “connected.” Shut down the laptop, put your smartphone on silent, and make yourself unavailable whenever you can. The world will manage for a couple of hours without you.
Noise Pollution, The Bottom Line
Noise pollution is here to stay. It surrounds us every day, it is increasing, and it is damaging our health. Since we cannot wholly escape it, the best we can do is to be aware of it and practice ways to diminish its harmful effects.
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