When you were 16 and cranked up the radio to full volume, you weren’t thinking about how this might damage your health. You simply enjoyed the music.
As you got older, you may have indulged in nights out at loud concerts or the movies. You might have even picked a job where loud noise is normal. Lasting health concerns were the furthest thing from your mind.
You more likely know differently today. Children as young as 12 can have long-term noise-induced hearing impairment. But sound is so powerful it can even be used as a weapon.
Can Sound Make You Sick?
In short, yes. Certain sounds can evidently make you sick according to scientists and doctors. Here’s the reason why.
How Loud Sound Affects Health
The inner ear can be harmed by extremely loud sounds. You have little hairs that pick up +
vibrations after they pass through the eardrum membrane. These hairs never regenerate once they are destroyed. Many people, as they age, deal with sensorineural hearing loss caused by this.
Harmful volume starts at 85 decibels for an 8 hour period of time. If you’re exposed to over 100 dB, lasting damage happens within 15 minutes. A loud concert is around 120 decibels, which causes instantaneous, permanent harm.
Cardiovascular wellness can also be affected by noise. Obesity, high blood pressure, clogged arteries, and other vascular issues can be the consequence of increased stress hormones brought on by overly loud noise. So when people who are subjected to loud noise complain about headaches and memory loss, this may explain why. Cardiovascular health is directly linked to these symptoms.
Actually, one study confirmed that sound volumes that start to affect the heart, and hormones are as low a 45 decibels. That’s roughly the volume of somebody with a quiet indoor voice.
Your Health is Affected by Certain Sound Frequencies – Here’s How
Cuban diplomats became sick after being subjected to certain sounds a few years ago. The sound in Cuba wasn’t that loud. It could even be drowned out by a television. How might it have been able to make people sick?
Frequency is the answer.
High Frequency
High frequency sounds like the one experienced in Cuba can do appreciable harm at lower volumes.
Does the sound of nails on a chalkboard cause you to cringe? Have you ever begged a co-worker to stop as they run their fingers over a folded piece of paper? Have you ever had to plug your ears during a violin recital?
If you’ve felt the force of high-frequency sounds, the pain you felt was in fact damage happening to your hearing. The damage may have become irreversible if you’ve exposed yourself to this kind of sound repeatedly for longer time periods.
Studies have also revealed that damage can happen even if you can’t hear the sound. Harmful frequencies can come from many common devices like sensors, trains, machinery, etc.
Low Frequency
Your health can also be impacted by infrasound which is very low frequency sound. The vibrations can make you feel disoriented and physically ill. Some individuals even get migraine symptoms such as flashes of color and light.
Safeguarding Your Hearing
Recognize how particular sounds make you feel. If you’re feeling pain or other symptoms when you’re around specific sounds, reduce your exposure. Pain is often a warning sign of damage.
Get your hearing checked regularly by a hearing specialist to find out how your hearing could be changing over time.