When you were a teenager and cranked up the radio to full volume, you had little thought about how this could damage your health. You were just having fun listening to your tunes.
As you grew, you probably indulged in evenings out at loud concerts or the movies. You might have even picked a career where loud noise is the norm. Still, you didn’t think it had any long-term impact.
Now that you are older and more mature, you probably know better. Children as young as 12 can have permanent noise-induced hearing loss. But did you realize that sound is so powerful that it can even be used as a weapon?
Can Sound Make You Sick?
In short, yes. It’s evident to doctors and scientists alike that certain sound can make you sick. This is the reason why.
How Health is Impacted by Loud Noise
The inner ear can be injured by very loud sounds. You have little hairs that pick up +
vibrations after they pass through the eardrum membrane. These hairs never regenerate once they are damaged. Many people, as they age, deal with sensorineural hearing loss caused by this.
Over 85 dB of volume for an 8 hour period of time will begin to cause lasting damage. If you’re exposed to over 100 decibels, lasting damage happens within 15 minutes. At 120 dB, the volume of a rock concert, instantaneous, permanent impairment will happen.
Cardiovascular wellness can also be impacted by noise. High blood pressure, clogged arteries, obesity, and other vascular concerns can be the result of increased stress hormones brought on by overly loud noise. This may explain the headaches and memory issues that people subjected to loud noise complain about. These are strongly linked to cardiovascular health.
As a matter of fact, one study showed that sound volumes that begin to impact the heart, and hormones are as low a 45 decibels. That’s about the volume of somebody with a quiet inside voice.
Your Health is Affected by Some Sound Frequencies – Here’s How
Several years ago, diplomats in Cuba became sick when subjected to sounds. This sound was not at a very loud volume. It could even be blocked out by a television. How might it have been able to make people ill?
Frequency is the answer.
High Frequency
High frequency sounds like the one experienced in Cuba can do considerable damage at lower volumes.
Does the sound of nails on a chalkboard make you cringe? Have you been driven nuts by someone repeatedly dragging their finger over a folded piece of paper? Have you ever needed to plug your ears during a violin recital?
If you’ve felt the force of high-frequency sounds, the pain you felt was actually damage happening to your hearing. The damage could have become permanent if you’ve subjected yourself to this sort of sound repeatedly for longer time periods.
Studies have also revealed that damage can be done even if you can’t hear the sound. Damaging frequencies can come from many common devices like sensors, trains, machinery, etc.
Low Frequency
Your health can also be impacted by infrasound which is really low frequency sound. The vibrations can make you feel disoriented and physically ill. Some even get flashes of light and color that are typical in migraine sufferers.
How You Can Safeguard Your Hearing
Be mindful of how you feel about certain sounds. Limit your exposure if specific sounds make you feel pain or other symptoms. If you’re feeling pain in your ears, you’re probably doing damage.
Get your hearing examined regularly by a hearing specialist to find out how your hearing might be changing over time.
