Noise Is Slowly Killing You

Have you ever stopped and realized just how noisy the world is? What is all that noise doing to us...and could it be negatively impacting our health?

The most obvious way that noise can be harmful is when it causes damage to our hearing. Experts generally agree that humans can be exposed to noise levels at or below 70 decibels for any duration of time without risk of hearing damage, which is around the higher end of normal conversation volumes.

However, when we’re exposed to 85 decibels or more for over 8 hours, that’s when we start risking hearing damage. But can noisy environments harm more than just your ears? As it turns out, they can.

00:00 Too much noise?
00:23 Hearing damage
01:00 Noise and health
02:04 Quality and duration
02:28 Premature death
02:35 Noise pollution
03:02 Quiet parks
03:30 Finland
03:55 Noise cancelling headphones

Read More:

Discover the planet’s last few ‘naturally quiet’ places
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/discover-the-planets-last-few-naturally-quiet-places
"In early June, QPI certified the world’s first Urban Quiet Park in one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Just north of Taipei, Taiwan, Yangmingshan National Park is a 43-square-mile area known for its relaxing hot springs, mountainous terrain, and endemic birds."

Silence Emerges as a Way to Boost Health
https://www.wsj.com/articles/silence-emerges-as-a-way-to-boost-health-11615478413
"Urbanization and an ever encroaching digital life have spurred a need for sound-free respites, says Beth McGroarty, research director at the Global Wellness Institute, a Miami-based nonprofit. It has grown more acute since the coronavirus pandemic left millions of people juggling their private and professional lives in confined, noisy spaces, she says. “People are desperate for silence,” she says."

Is Noise Pollution the Next Big Public-Health Crisis?
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/05/13/is-noise-pollution-the-next-big-public-health-crisis
"Research shows that loud sound can have a significant impact on human health, as well as doing devastating damage to our ecosystems."

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