While we can’t “see” noise, it is doing considerable damage to us.
Noise pollution — harmful levels of noise — is oft-overlooked because it has become a mainstay of urban life. As a kid, I would sit on my grandparents' balcony listening to the sounds of the city — to me what was a symphony of car horns, monkeys, and street sellers.
Yet, I didn’t know that these sounds can have some extremely harmful effects. Exposure to prolonged or excessive noise can cause a range of problems, including stress, poor concentration, losses in productivity, fatigue, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, tinnitus, and hearing loss.
Surprisingly, noise affects you when you don’t consciously process it. Your body picks up noise when you are asleep. Continued noise sets off the body’s acute stress response, which raises blood pressure and heart rate, creating a state of hyperarousal; it is this response that can lead to cardiovascular disease and other health problems.
Yet, there is much that you can do on the individual level to protect yourself from these harmful effects. First, educate yourself and know which noises can cause permanent damage (those above 85 dB). Next, is to condition yourself to listen to audio on lower volume levels. Next time you have your headphones, try turning down the volume. I tried this technique, and while difficult at the first, I slowly but surely got used to it.
Individuals should also be alert and aware of what sounds are the most damaging and try to stay away from them. For those that live in an area constantly inundated with noise pollution, using vegetation as a buffer is a promising solution. Try planting dense vegetation, like shrubs and trees around the perimeter of your property. Vegetation provides an effective way to reduce noise.
Green walls are another option. As the name states, green walls are walls covered with vegetation. In addition to providing insulating properties, green walls can absorb sound, reducing noise pollution in a home.
At the community level, urban planners should ensure that there are green spaces that serve as a haven from industrial sounds. In addition to blocking out sound, these spaces may help satisfy resident biophilia, our innate need to connect with nature. Also, community planners should use informative signage to educate residents on the harmful effects of noise pollution, a problem that largely goes under the radar.
