When you were a kid you most likely had no clue that cranking the volume up on your music could lead to health issues. You were just having a good time listening to your tunes.
You had a good time when you were growing up, going to loud concerts and movies. You could have even picked a career where loud noise is normal. Long term health concerns were the furthest thing from your mind.
You probably know differently now. Children as young as 12 can have long-term noise-induced hearing loss. But did you realize that sound is so powerful that it can even be used as a weapon?
Can Sound Make You Sick?
Actually, it Can. Certain sounds can evidently cause you to get sick according to scientists and doctors. Here’s why.
How Loud Sound Affects Health
Extremely loud sounds harm the inner ear. After sound goes through the membrane of the eardrum it’s picked up by tiny hairs in the ears. These hairs never regenerate once they are destroyed. Many people, as they age, deal with sensorineural hearing loss caused by this.
Dangerous volume starts at 85 decibels over an 8 hour time period. It only takes 15 minutes for permanent damage to set in at 100 dB. A rock concert is about 120 decibels, which triggers instantaneous, permanent harm.
Noises can also impact cardiovascular wellness. High blood pressure, clogged arteries, obesity, and other vascular problems can be the consequence of increased stress hormones brought on by overly loud noise. So when people who are exposed to loud noise complain about headaches and memory loss, this may explain why. These are directly related to the health of your cardiovascular system.
In fact, one study revealed that sound volumes that start to affect the heart, and hormones are as low a 45 decibels. A person speaking with a quiet indoor voice is at this volume level.
How Sound Frequency Impacts Health
A few years ago, diplomats in Cuba got sick when exposed to sounds. This sound wasn’t at a very loud volume. They could drown it out with a tv. So how could this type of sound cause people to get sick?
Frequency is the answer.
High Frequency
Even at lower volumes, significant harm can be done by some high-frequency sound.
Have you ever cringed when somebody scratched their nails on a chalkboard? Have you ever begged a co-worker to stop as they run their fingers across a folded piece of paper? Have you ever needed to cover your ears during a violin recital?
Damage was being done to your hearing if you’ve ever felt pain from high-frequency sound. The damage may have become irreversible if you’ve subjected yourself to this kind of sound repeatedly for longer time periods.
Research has also revealed that damage can happen even if you can’t hear the sound. High-pitched sounds emanating from trains, sensors, machinery, and other man-made devices could be emitting frequencies that do damage with too much exposure.
Low Frequency
Your health can also be impacted by infrasound which is really low frequency sound. The vibrations can make you feel disoriented and physically ill. Some even get flashes of color and light that are common in migraine sufferers.
Safeguarding Your Hearing
Know how particular sounds make you feel. Minimize your exposure if particular sounds make you feel pain or other symptoms. If you’re experiencing pain in your ears, you’re most likely doing damage.
Get your hearing checked regularly by an audiologist to find out how your hearing might be changing over time.
