96 MAY 2019/ WOMANSDAY.COM
Health / BRING ON THE CALM
C
lang. Ping!
Buzzzzz. Roaaaar.
Rumble rumble.
Clang. Boom!
No matter where
you are right now, chances are
you’re surrounded by noise.
Maybe you’re in your back yard
and the kids next door are
yelling, someone down the block
has revved up a super-loud lawn
mower, and there goes a plane
overhead. Or maybe you’re
sitting in your living room in
what should be pure quiet, but
what you hear is a constant
high-tech hum emanating from
your fridge or your smart TV.
Yes, any of these scenarios
may be a little annoying
or downright crazy-making,
but it’s having an impact on
more than your mood, says
Rick Neitzel, Ph.D., director
of the Environmental Health
Promotion and Policy Master
of Public Health program at
the University of Michigan. For
starters, it may be affecting
your hearing: The American
Speech-Language-Hearing
Association estimates that
30 million Americans are
exposed to dangerous noise levels
on a regular basis—up 10 million
from just a few years ago.
Then there’s the other toll
of all this constant racket.
One study in the journal PLOS
One found that being strongly
annoyed by noise is associated
with increased depression and
anxiety. Meanwhile, additional
research has shown that
exposure to noise can spike
blood pressure, heart rate, and
the release of stress hormones.
“Even though from a mental
perspective we’ve adapted to
our loud world and become
remarkably good at screening
out certain noises, our nervous
systems are still responding,”
says Neitzel. That means
the near-constant buzzing,
humming, pinging, clunking,
roaring, and banging around
you affects you on a deep level—
whether you’re consciously
bothered by it or not.
The chronic
stress reaction
from constant
noise has
been linked
to diabetes,
respiratory
disorders, and
cancer.
She may be
smiling but that
blender could
be contributingto depression
and anxiety.
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