Exposure to Excessive Noise Can Mean Death
A recent World Health Organisation study reports that persistent or chronic exposure to noise is directly responsible for 3% of all heart disease deaths. The study was conducted in Europe and the UK reports heartzine.com.
The report advises that World Health Organisation (WHO) findings are that cardiovascular problems arise a result of chronic night-time exposure to noise of 50 decibels (dB) or more – the noise arising from light traffic. The guidelines mark the noise threshold for sleep disturbance at 42dB and for general annoyance at 35dB, the sound of a whisper.
Also reported was the fact that excessive noise resulted in increased risk of heart disease. Persistent exposure to loud noise also accounts for at least 2% of Europeans experiencing severely disturbed sleep and nearly 15% suffering severe annoyance on account of noise pollution.
Of interest to tinnitus sufferers was the finding that 3% of all reported tinnitus cases were caused by chronic exposure to loud traffic noise.
Exposure to noise pollution has long been recognized as an irritation but it has never been thought of as dangerous. "People are simply not aware of the impact it can have on their health," reported Deepak Prasher, Professor of Audiology at University College London.
The research suggests that exposure to high levels of noise (and many people have a low threshold) causes increased levels of stress hormones in the body even when one is asleep and these are what can cause the life threatening physiological problems if it occurs over a period of time.
Strokes, heart failure, high blood pressure and a lowered immune system are all much more likely to occur when you have high levels of stress hormones in the bloodstream. There is no such thing as "getting used to" exposure to loud levels of noise. Your system will produce those stress hormones even in your sleep if you are exposed to persistent or irregular night-time noises.
The following quote is taken directly from the WHO report:
“There is biological plausibility of noise being a psycho social stressor activating the
sympathetic and endocrine systems and there is sufficient evidence that noise levels higher
than 50 dB disrupt strongly the hormone secretion cycles.”
Hormones are secreted according to a rhythm. The time a person takes to recover from a
stressed situation depends very much upon individual characteristics and of the emotions
they experience.
Persons that express hostility have a higher risk of cardio vascular diseases, this is also true
to noise. The more a person is hostile to it, the higher is the risk of cardiovascular
dysregulation. No-acoustical factors play a big role in this process.
The chronobiological stress caused by night noise occurs during the most important period
for a human beings recovery! It is extremely important to preserve this period to maintain the
balance necessary for good health.”
So if anyone tells you that noise cannot kill you, they are probably right. But it will raise your stress levels, which obviously will aggravate your tinnitus. One wonders how many of those who die of heart disease deaths because of exposure to noise are tinnitus sufferers?
This is startling information for all who suffer from tinnitus and it is recommended that you should definitely takes steps to avoid prolonged exposure to loud noise in the daytime as well as night-time.
Invest in a decent set of ear plugs and USE THEM!
• Wear them in the traffic, on the bus, on the train. If you live in a neighbourhood that has plenty of night-time traffic or other noise pollution, wear them. Invest in double glazing on your windows in your bedroom.
• Another excellent technique is the use of white noise tinnitus maskers to mask the outside noises.
• If you are already a tinnitus sufferer you are already at risk of having too high a level of stress hormones in the body and you certainly cannot afford to put yourself at greater risk of heart disease or strokes.
• It is important for all tinitus sufferers to be pro-active in this regard as you can rely on the local authorities to adequetly curtail night-time noise and even less so with traffic noise!
• You'll live longer and your tinnitus levels could just reduce on their own.
Using common sense, learning to manage your stress and getting enough sleep will is the key! This aspect of tinnitus recovery is discussed in depth in chapter six of Ellen's excellent book Living Tinnitus Free which available free as a download to all T-Gone clients.
Sources:
Heartzine
