When you were younger you probably had no clue that cranking the volume up on your music could result in health issues. You were simply having fun listening to your tunes.
You had fun when you were growing up, going to loud concerts and movies. You may have even chosen a job where loud noise is normal. Still, you didn’t think it had any lasting effects.
You probably know differently now. Noise-induced hearing impairment can show up in kids as young as 12. But sound is so powerful it can actually be used as a weapon.
Can You Get Ill From Sound?
In fact, it Can. Particular sounds can evidently make you ill according to doctors and scientists. This is the reason why.
How Loud Sound Affects Health
Very loud sounds injure the inner ear. You have tiny hairs that detect +
vibrations after they pass through the eardrum membrane. These hairs never grow back once they are destroyed. Many people, as they age, deal with sensorineural hearing loss caused by this.
Dangerous volume begins at 85 decibels for an 8 hour time period. If you’re exposed to over 100 dB, lasting damage occurs within 15 minutes. At 120 dB, the volume of a rock concert, immediate, irreversible impairment will take place.
Cardiovascular health can also be impacted by noise. Exposure to loud sounds can increase stress hormones, which can result in clogged arteries, obesity, high blood pressure, and more. This might explain the headaches and memory issues that people exposed to loud noise complain about. Cardiovascular health is directly connected to these symptoms.
Sound as low as 45 decibels can, as reported by one study, start to affect your hormones and your heart. That’s about the volume of a person with a quiet inside voice.
How Sound Frequency Impacts Health
Cuban diplomats became sick after being subjected to certain sounds several years ago. This sound was not at a very loud volume. They were able to drown it out with a television. So how could this kind of sound make people sick?
Frequency is the answer.
High Frequency
Even at lower volumes, considerable harm can be done by certain high-frequency sound.
Does the sound of nails on a chalkboard cause you to cringe? Have you been driven nuts by somebody continuously dragging their finger over a folded piece of paper? Does the shrill sound of a violin put you on edge?
Damage was happening to your hearing if you’ve ever felt pain from high-pitched sound. If you experienced this for an extended period of time, regularly subjected yourself to it, or were exposed at a high volume, then the damage may have become permanent.
Research has also found that you don’t even need to be able to hear the sound. Damaging frequencies can come from many common devices such as sensors, trains, machinery, etc.
Low Frequency
Your health can also be impacted by infrasound which is extremely low frequency sound. It can resonate the body in such a way that you feel nauseated and disoriented. Some even get flashes of light and color that are common in migraine sufferers.
How You Can Safeguard Your Hearing
Recognize how particular sounds make you feel. Minimize your exposure if particular sounds make you feel pain or other symptoms. Pain is typically a warning sign of damage.
In order to know how your hearing may be changing over time, contact a hearing specialist for a hearing test.