When you were a teenager and turned the radio up to full volume, you weren’t thinking about how this might harm your health. You simply enjoyed the music.
You had fun when you were growing up, going to loud concerts and movies. You could have even picked a career where loud noise is normal. Still, you didn’t think it had any lasting effects.
You more likely know differently now. Children as young as 12 can have permanent noise-induced hearing loss. But sound is so powerful it can actually be used as a weapon.
Can You Get Ill From Sound?
In short, yes. Certain sounds can evidently cause you to get ill according to scientists and doctors. This is why.
How Health is Affected 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 membrane of the eardrum. Once these tiny hairs are destroyed, they don’t ever grow back or heal. Many people, as they age, deal with sensorineural hearing loss caused by this.
Over 85 dB of volume for an 8 hour period will start to cause permanent damage. If you’re subjected to over 100 dB, lasting damage occurs within 15 minutes. At 120 dB, the volume of a rock concert, instant, long-term damage will occur.
Cardiovascular health can also be impacted by noise. High blood pressure, clogged arteries, obesity, and other vascular concerns can be the consequence of increased stress hormones brought on by overly loud noise. This might explain the headaches and memory issues that people subjected to loud noise complain about. Cardiovascular health is directly related to these symptoms.
Sound as low as 45 decibels can, based on one study, begin to have an impact on your hormones and your heart. That’s around the volume of someone with a quiet inside voice.
Your Health is Affected by Some Sound Frequencies – Here’s How
Several years ago, diplomats in Cuba got sick when subjected to sounds. This sound wasn’t at a very high 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 such as the one experienced in Cuba can do considerable harm at lower volumes.
Have you ever cringed when someone scratched their nails on a chalkboard? Have you been driven nuts by somebody continuously dragging their finger over a folded piece of paper? Have you ever needed to plug your ears during a violin recital?
Damage was being done to your hearing if you’ve ever experienced pain from high-pitched sound. If you endured this for an extended period of time, regularly exposed yourself to it, or were exposed at a high volume, then the damage may have become irreversible.
Research has also found that you don’t even have to be able to hear the sound. High-pitched sounds emanating from sensors, trains, machinery, and other man-made devices may be producing frequencies that do damage with prolonged exposure.
Low Frequency
Your health can also be affected by infrasound which is very low frequency sound. The vibrations can make you feel disoriented and physically sick. Some even get flashes of color and light that are common in migraine sufferers.
Protecting Your Hearing
Recognize how certain sounds make you feel. If you’re feeling pain or other symptoms when you’re exposed to certain sounds, reduce your exposure. Pain is often a warning sign of damage.
Have your hearing examined regularly by a hearing specialist to find out how your hearing could be changing over time.