What Impact Can Excessive Noise Have On Your Health?

Jennifer, writing for our friends at CompareTheMarket.com, shares how excessive noise can impact our health and wellbeing.

We all know that noise can be unpleasantly loud and obnoxious at times, but did you ever stop to think about the impact of excessive sound levels on your health and wellbeing? Sure, we want our environment free from distraction when it comes to optimal productivity. But how much harm can too much background noise actually do? 

In this blog post, we’ll dive into the science behind noisy environments, discuss some potential risks associated with excessive noise exposure over a long period of time – ranging from physical fatigue to mental health problems – and offer a few ways to deal with it.

What is excessive noise?

Excessive noise can be defined as any loud and persistent sound that disrupts the peace of an environment or space. This could range from industrial or construction work to a loud party in a residential building. If you are regularly exposed to excessive noise, then it can have some very unfavourable long-term effects. 

What health issues can noise pollution cause?

Hearing loss

Noise pollution is everywhere in our urban centres and is becoming an increasing cause of hearing loss. In fact, it’s estimated that 26 million Americans suffer from noise-induced hearing problems. This is due to damage to the structure or nerve fibres within the ear and cannot be medically treated or surgically corrected. 

Whilst repeated exposure to loud noise is often the cause of this type of hearing loss, one blast of loud sound can equally have the same effect, making city centre living a risky place for our ears. All too often, we don’t stop to think about how our everyday behaviours can damage our health – it can be well worth wearing earplugs on your daily commute. 

Disrupted sleep

If you’ve ever been awake in the middle of the night, listening to a blaring car horn or somebody’s music that is just a little too loud, then you understand how frustrating noise pollution can be. What you may not know is that this annoyance can have serious implications for your health and quality of life. 

Getting a good night’s sleep is essential to our mental and physical health. Without enough quality sleep, we can quickly become irritable and poor decision-makers, as well as suffer from headaches. Studies have found that noise pollution has lasting effects on our sleep – not only does it limit your ability to find peace and relaxation at night, but evidence suggests it also interferes with your sleep cycles and can even contribute to conditions such as depression. Conserving our quiet environment is important in order to maintain a peaceful atmosphere both during the day and throughout the night. 

Increased stress levels

Even when it’s further away, the sound travels – and once you’ve heard it, it’s tough to ignore. As well as being frustrating in the short term, noise pollution can also have a lasting effect on your mental health in the long term due to increased stress levels. Excessive noise can increase cortisol, your body’s stress hormone, which in turn, increases heart rate and blood pressure. This can then lead to more chronic conditions such as anxiety, hypertension and depression in the long run. 

How to reduce noise levels in your home

You can’t outrun the noise for those living in cities with high levels of noise pollution, but you can try and reduce it. Shutting all windows when possible can help reduce the volume of outside noise entering the house or apartment. You should also ensure your home is well insulated, which is key for preventing external noises from making their way indoors. Additionally, using soundproofing materials can help muffle loud sounds from coming into the home. While you may not want to (or be able to) soundproof your whole house, you could consider targeted soundproofing to ensure that you get a good night’s sleep at least.

You can do this with professional materials, but a good place to start is by adding noise-absorptive materials to your floors, walls and ceilings for those who want something a little less expensive. This would ensure sound waves are more effectively contained and noise does not spread through the space. 

When it comes to furnishings, consider different textures for sound-dampening curtains, rugs, and mats for floors. Hardwood floors and blinds look beautiful, but carpets and rugs will absorb and dull the impact of sound and noise pollution that affect your neighbours. You can also use furniture in your home tactically to control noise irritation. Bulky items such as bookcases or cabinets can be positioned against adjoining walls, and if the noise is coming from a neighbour, these fixings can help absorb and reduce the noise.

Finally, consider the plants in your front yard if you’re living in a more suburban area. Hedges and trees can actually block and reduce sound waves, meaning for instance, you should hear less road traffic. They might take a while to grow and some effort to maintain, but this will be well worth it for your health.

Conclusion

To conclude, excess noise is ubiquitous in our environment and can have a negative effect on our health. High threshold or background noise levels can increase stress, which in turn, can lead to several health issues, including headaches, high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. 

Unfortunately, despite an increased understanding of the harmful effects of loud noises, most environments, such as residential neighbourhoods, still lack effective noise control regulations to protect the health of their inhabitants. Therefore it is important for us all to be aware of how excess noise affects us and take steps to protect ourselves from unnecessary exposure.