We often focus on health through diet, exercise, and mind. But there is one important player that is too often overlooked—how your setting affects your well being. Yes, sound and environment matter. The spaces where you live and work, what you breathe, and what is around your ears have an effect on your overall health. Something that is too often missed in the whole picture of your health? Noise.
City life is full of its fair share of plusses, but along with the goods, it also has its fair share of negatives—noise pollution, to name only one. The constant hum of cars, construction activity, and alarms makes life here one of extended exposure to noises. Even within offices, loud machinery, office gossip, or background noises can leave individuals tired and tense.
Over time, extended exposure to loud environments can lead to severe health conditions, including elevated levels of blood pressure, elevated levels of stress hormones, and heart disease itself. Nocturnal disruptions by loud noises have also been linked to weaker immune function, poor concentration, and susceptibility to metabolic disorders.
Your ears do more than let you hear—your ears also play a role in your sense of balance and awareness of your surroundings. But too many people wave off the hazards of noise exposure. A common myth is that only extremely loud noises—concert noises or explosions—cause hearing loss. The truth? Long-term exposure to moderately loud noises, like rush-hour traffic or a busy street, can result in gradual hearing loss. For those using headphones to suppress external noises, there is also the risk of volume control. Turning up the volume to suppress background noises can also have negative impacts on hearing health, much like external noises can have. The suggestion is to employ the 60/60 rule—no greater than 60 percent of volume, no greater than 60 minutes of use at that volume.
One of the most persistent myths is that hearing loss is exclusive to old individuals. The reality is that hearing damage accumulates throughout life, and increasingly, youth are accumulating early hearing loss through extended exposure to background noises. Myth? That your ears will acclimatize to loud environments. The reality is that extended exposure creates irreversible damage, not acclimation.
It is important to learn how loudness levels contribute to hearing loss after prolonged periods of time and how damage can be prevented. For more information, see the full discussion here. Maintaining your hearing health is not just avoiding concert attendance—it is keeping control of daily levels of hearing in every environment.
Reducing noise levels is not necessarily avoiding workplaces or cities, but making changes can have a big impact:
Sound and setting impacts your health far more than you might know. From levels of noise pollution to levels of stress, each component of your surroundings contributes to it. By taking thoughtful actions regarding your environment or your soundscape, you can defend your hearing, along with your overall health.
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