Noise in decibels when noise makes you sick

Noise in decibels: When noise represents a health risk

03/10/2015

Be it at work, at school or on the street: noise is almost everywhere. Noise is not only annoying, but also harms the health. Excessive exposure to noise, for example, is associated with an increased risk of hypertension, heart attack or stroke. Therefore, it is good to know which volumes are dangerous.

Noise can harm your health
Crash harms the health. Noise causes headache, nervousness, inner restlessness and stress. For example, studies by the Federal Environmental Agency have shown that strong sound increases the release of the stress hormone adrenaline, reports the news agency dpa. The result of this can be high blood pressure and heart attacks. Experts advise you to avoid noise as much as possible and to relax in order to avoid the noise-stress. An overview shows which volumes are dangerous:

Concentration problems and increased cardiovascular risk
Already 40 decibels (dB), for example by whispering, disturb the sleep. And by 60 dB, such as when flying over a traffic machine at 1,500 meters altitude, a conversation or quiet radio, the concentration are disturbed and caused initial stress reactions. 80 dB, which corresponds to the noise of the jet engine of a starting jet 300 meters away, the noise level on a main road, in a classroom or in church bells 200 meters away, provide an increased cardiovascular risk under continuous load.

Dangers to the ears
100 dB, as in a noisy factory, from a circular saw or a jackhammer can cause hearing damage after years of stress according to the dpa report. Earache can be caused by 120 dB as in a supersonic blast of an airplane at 100 meters altitude, at a rock concert, next to a siren or a vuvuzela. 140 dB, which corresponds to the starting noise of an aircraft 40 meters away or a whistle, makes hearing damage possible after a short time. And 160 dB, as in the case of a rifle shot near the mouth, can result in hearing damage even after a single action.

Yoga against noise stress
Experts often point out that stress relief techniques, such as yoga or autogenic training, can help cope better with the strain. For example, last year Björn Husmann from the German Society for Relaxation Procedures (DG-E) advised that such relaxation techniques should be practiced even before acute periods of stress, since they would then be the most effective. Anyone who practices such exercises regularly will not let disturbing noises get so close to them. (Ad)