When you were younger you most likely had no clue that turning up the volume on your music could result in health problems. You just enjoyed the music.
You had a good time when you were growing up, going to loud concerts and movies. You could have even chosen a career where loud noise is normal. Still, you didn’t think it had any lasting effects.
Now that you are older and more mature, you more likely know better. Children as young as 12 can have permanent noise-induced hearing impairment. But did you know that sound is so formidable that it can even be used as a weapon?
Can You Get Sick From Sound?
In short, yes. Certain sounds can evidently cause you to get ill according to scientists and doctors. This is the reason why.
How Health is Impacted by Loud Noise
Extremely loud sounds injure the inner ear. After sound passes through the membrane of the eardrum it’s picked up by little hairs in the ears. Once these little hairs are destroyed, they don’t ever heal or regenerate. This is what causes the sensorineural hearing loss that many people deal with as they age.
Damaging volume starts at 85 decibels for an 8 hour time frame. It only takes 15 minutes for permanent impairment to set in at 100 dB. A loud concert is about 120 decibels, which brings about immediate, irreversible damage.
Noises can also impact cardiovascular wellness. Subjection to loud noise can boost stress hormones, which can contribute to High blood pressure, clogged arteries, obesity, and more. So when people who are exposed to loud noise complain about headaches and memory loss, this may explain why. Cardiovascular health is strongly connected to these symptoms.
Actually, one study showed that sound volumes that begin to impact the heart, and hormones are as low a 45 decibels. That’s roughly the volume of a person with a quiet inside voice.
Your Health is Impacted by Certain Sound Frequencies – Here’s How
A few years ago, diplomats in Cuba became sick when exposed to sounds. This sound wasn’t at a really loud volume. They were able to block it out with a tv. So how could this type of sound cause people to get sick?
The answer is frequency.
High Frequency
High frequency sounds such as the one experienced in Cuba can do significant harm at lower volumes.
Have you ever cringed when someone scraped their nails on a chalkboard? Have you been driven nuts by someone repeatedly dragging their finger over a folded piece of paper? Have you ever needed to cover your ears during a violin recital?
Damage was happening to your hearing if you’ve ever felt pain from high-frequency sound. The damage could have become irreversible if you’ve exposed yourself to this sort of sound repeatedly for longer periods of time.
Research has also discovered that you don’t even have to be able to hear the sound. High-frequency sounds emanating from sensors, trains, machinery, and other man-made devices may be producing frequencies that do damage with prolonged exposure.
Low Frequency
Very low-frequency sound known as “infrasound” can also impact your health. It can resonate the body in such a way that the person feels nauseated and disoriented. Some even experience flashes of color and light that are common in migraine sufferers.
Safeguarding Your Hearing
Know how certain sounds make you feel. If you’re feeling pain or other symptoms when you’re exposed to particular sounds, reduce your exposure. Pain is often a warning sign of damage.
In order to know how your hearing may be changing over time, get in touch with a hearing specialist for a hearing test.