Health Impacts of Noise Pollution

Michael Richard^*
*Correspondence: Michael Richard, Public Health Centre, Vancouver, Canada, Email:

Description

Noise pollution has the potential to harm people and wildlife on land and at sea. Loud or unavoidable sounds, ranging from highway noise to rock concerts, can induce hearing loss, stress, and elevated blood pressure. Whales and dolphins that rely on echolocation to thrive are endangered by noise from ships and human activities in the water. When undesired sounds infiltrate the environment, noise pollution occurs. Noise pollution can cause increased stress, sleep disturbances, and hearing loss, among other things. Even while sleeping, the brain is constantly listening for indicators of danger. As a result, loud or frequent noise might cause anxiety or stress. A person's sensitivity to stress grows as a result of repeated exposure to noise pollution [1].

Many of these approaches have also proven to be effective in lowering pollution levels. We believe that developing combined techniques for reducing noise and air pollution from traffic could improve the impact of noise mitigation measures while reducing costs and effort. Due to urban growth and rising mobility demand, it is doubtful that the number of individuals exposed to noise would reduce considerably in the future if noise controls are not introduced to alleviate noise problems. A large reduction in the number of individuals exposed to harmful noise levels is more likely to be achieved by combining many methods, such as technical advancements, ambitious noise legislation, better urban and infrastructure planning, and behavioural changes [2].

Although age-related health impacts (presbycusis) develop naturally with age, the cumulative impact of noise in many nations is sufficient to impair the hearing of a considerable proportion of the population over the course of a lifetime. Noise-induced hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, vasoconstriction, and other cardiovascular side effects have all been linked to noise exposure. Chronic noise exposure has been linked to sleep disruptions and a higher risk of diabetes. Chronic noise exposure has adverse cardiovascular effects due to the sympathetic nervous system's failure to adapt. When the body is subjected to noise, the sympathetic nervous system maintains lighter stages of sleep, preventing blood pressure from following the typical rise and fall cycle of an undisturbed circadian rhythm.

Traffic noise has a number of detrimental consequences, including an increased risk of coronary artery disease, with night time noise exposure potentially being more damaging than daytime noise exposure. It has also been demonstrated to raise blood pressure in people living in the nearby residential areas, with trains having the most significant cardiovascular consequences. Noise levels on the road are high enough to restrict arterial blood flow and raise blood pressure. Vasoconstriction can occur as a result of high adrenaline levels or medical stress reactions. Long-term noise exposure is linked to elevated cortisol and angiotensin-II levels, which are linked to oxidative stress and vascular inflammation, respectively [3-5].

Conclusion

Surprisingly, it may be the sounds we're not even conscious we're hearing that have the most impact on us, particularly those we 'hear' when sleeping. The ear of a human being is incredibly sensitive and never sleeps. So your ears are operating even as you sleep, picking up and transmitting noises that are filtered and processed by various sections of the brain. It's an aural channel that's always open. So, even if you're not aware of it, background noises like traffic, planes, or music from a neighbour are still being processed, and your body is reacting to them in various ways thanks to nerves that run throughout the body and hormones generated by the brain.

Conflict of Interest

None.

References

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