When you were 16 and cranked the radio up to full volume, you weren’t thinking about how this might affect your health. You were just having fun listening to your tunes.
You had a good time when you were growing up, going to the movies and loud concerts. You may have even picked a career where loud noise is normal. Long term health problems were the furthest thing from your mind.
You more likely know differently today. Children as young as 12 can have long-term noise-induced hearing impairment. But did you know that sound is so formidable that it can even be used as a weapon?
Can You Get Sick From Sound?
In short, yes. Certain sounds can evidently cause you to get ill according to doctors and scientists. This is the reason why.
How Health is Impacted by Loud Noise
The inner ear can be damaged by really loud sounds. You have little hairs that detect +
vibrations after they pass through the eardrum membrane. These hairs never regenerate once they are damaged. This is what causes the sensorineural hearing loss that many people deal with as they age.
Over 85 dB of volume for an 8 hour period of time will start to cause long-term damage. If you’re exposed to over 100 decibels, lasting impairment takes place within 15 minutes. A rock concert is around 120 decibels, which triggers instant, permanent damage.
Noises can also affect cardiovascular health. Obesity, high blood pressure, clogged arteries, and other vascular concerns can be the result of increased stress hormones brought on by overly loud noise. This might explain the memory and headache issues that people exposed to loud noise complain about. Cardiovascular health is directly connected to these symptoms.
In fact, one study showed that sound volumes that begin to affect the heart, and hormones are as low a 45 decibels. That’s around the volume of a person with a quiet inside voice.
How Sound Frequency Impacts Health
Several years ago, diplomats in Cuba became sick when exposed to sounds. This sound wasn’t at a really high volume. They could drown it out with a tv. So how could this type of sound make people sick?
Frequency is the answer.
High Frequency
Even at lower volumes, appreciable harm can be done by certain high-frequency sound.
Have you ever cringed when somebody scraped their nails on a chalkboard? Have you ever begged a co-worker to stop as they run their fingers over a folded piece of paper? Does the shrill sound of a violin put you on edge?
Damage was being done to your hearing if you’ve ever felt pain from high-pitched sound. The damage could have become irreversible if you’ve exposed yourself to this sort of sound repeatedly for longer periods of time.
Studies have also discovered that you don’t even have to be able to hear the sound. High-pitched sounds coming from trains, sensors, machinery, and other man-made devices could be producing frequencies that do damage with sustained exposure.
Low Frequency
Very low-frequency sound known as “infrasound” can also affect your health. The vibrations can make you feel dizzy and physically sick. Some even get flashes of color and light that are common in migraine sufferers.
How You Can Safeguard Your Hearing
Be aware of how you feel about particular sounds. If you’re feeling pain or other symptoms when you’re around particular sounds, reduce your exposure. Pain is commonly a warning sign of damage.
Have your hearing tested regularly by a hearing specialist to understand how your hearing could be changing over time.
