Every day we wake up in the morning from the alarm clock, go to work in public transport, sit down in the evening at the TV or listen to music, all the time being exposed to sound waves. And this effect is not at all beneficial for our body. Industrial and domestic noise is a real disaster in the modern world!
We make noise, brothers, make noise
First, let's figure out what noise is. This is the ticking of a clock on the wall, and the rustle of rain coming from the street, and the howling of transport, and the roar of a working elevator, and the turning on of the refrigerator, and slamming doors; this is the work of the TV. CD-player and radio; sound vibrations arising in the floors of the house due to walking, dancing, moving furniture, running children. These vibrations travel a long distance through the building as structure-borne noise. Almost everything that surrounds us can be its source.
Today, research by scientists has proven that noise causes a variety of physiological changes in the human body. Constant exposure to noise can cause gastritis and even peptic ulcer disease, as it disrupts the secretory and motor functions of the stomach.
After all, the ear, as opposed to the eye. “Does not close - even in a dream, constantly perceiving sounds.
We are driving, driving, driving …
Promotional video:
Take transportation, for example. The noise from it reaches 80-90 decibels, and few people know that, subject to constant exposure, such a level can even lead to deafness. But this kind of noise accompanies us for 16-18 hours a day!
The endless round-the-clock flow of vehicles through the streets of big cities is accompanied by a continuous rumble, often interrupted by the screeching of brakes and the clatter of truck trailers. Residents of the streets along which trams go, suffer not only from noise on tram tracks, but also from rattling glasses in window frames, dishes in cupboards …
Rail and water transport brings us a lot of concern. Locomotive horns, signals from switchmen and carriages, the roar of passing trains and maneuverable steam locomotives, voices of announcers, sirens of motor ships - all these noises, especially far-reaching at night hours, disrupt the normal sleep of people, cause nervousness of those who live near railway junctions and ports …
What then can we say about airfields! The roar of airplanes and helicopters has an adverse effect on the well-being of the population within a radius of 10-20 kilometers from the runway!
Break for … silence
Once upon a time, city councils periodically passed resolutions regulating the behavior of those who like to make noise: from 11 pm to 7 am, silence should not be broken. However … the Soviet regulations were soon forgotten.
So, without reckoning with anyone, fanatical fans at any time of the day turn on the receivers and televisions broadcasting sports matches at full capacity. In the warm season, many have CD players and radios screaming at maximum on windowsills or at an open window.
Household noises generally have an extremely negative effect on the human body. And it is connected not so much with their intensity as with the suddenness of their occurrence, unexpectedness. A person is often frightened, shudders, as a result - frayed nerves.
My home is my castle?
Poor soundproofing of urban high-rise buildings is a separate issue. There are many defects in projects; houses are rented out with imperfections. Often in high-rise buildings a lot of unpleasant emotions are delivered to residents by buzzing and clattering elevators, garbage chutes. Discreet singing or selective swearing of revelers now and then comes from the streets and from the entrances. Noisy home parties, youth parties drag on long after midnight …
Another drawback of residential buildings, for which citizens often remember with an unkind word from designers and builders, is the combination of housing and shops, restaurants, cafes, fitness rooms and the like in one building.
Well, let's say, libraries, hairdressers, post offices, savings banks - wherever it went. But grocery stores, catering units … The sleep of the long-suffering residents is disturbed by the hum of motor vehicles, loud conversations, squabbles, and sometimes by the marketplace abuse of drivers, loaders, acceptance of goods; the clatter and roar of boxes, bales, cans being unloaded, or even dumped on the ground. And who, tell me, came up with the idea of importing goods, food at night? …
Among other things, in a residential area, in addition to street traffic noise, there is also its own, so-called intra-neighborhood noise: children's games on playgrounds and sports grounds, knocking out upholstered furniture, carpets, clothes, car washing, and so on. And the howl of sirens of the triggered protective alarm systems? Sound familiar?
Take pity on your nerves
Industrial and household noises, erratic and strong, especially intensely irritate the cells of the cerebral cortex. And night sounds that interfere with normal sleep, gradually - for some quickly, for others slowly - lead to the usual insomnia, shatter the nervous system.
Noise is most dangerous for the elderly. At a young age, sound disturbance is more tolerated, and those who "create" everyday noises themselves do not even know about the harm they cause to themselves and others. But annoying sounds penetrating through the organ of hearing "act on the brain" and ultimately lead to qualitative changes in the body, pathological reactions, and disturbances in the processes of excitation and inhibition. Basically, noise is as slow a killer as it could be.
Noise, noise, strife
Different noises affect people in different ways. An important role is played here by both the individual characteristics of the neuropsychic sphere of a person, and the nature, intensity and duration of the noise. For example, a sharp, albeit short-lived sound that occurs in silence, especially at night, usually causes fear and well-known reactions: heartbeat, jumping out of bed or accelerating step, and so on.
Prolonged or persistent noises act differently. They cause stress in hearing, in connection with which the threshold of perception of sounds and noises is significantly increased, inhibition processes are intensified in the cerebral cortex. And now attention and performance are declining, especially among those who are engaged in mental work. Children especially suffer: they become restless, it is difficult for them to concentrate.
How to determine whether the noise level is acceptable to a person or not? It turns out that if you are talking with someone who hears well, but are forced to raise their voice, it means that an unfavorable situation has developed around. To be precise, the noise hazard threshold is 85 decibels. For comparison: the approximate sound level with quiet speech is 50 decibels, the sound of a working vacuum cleaner is 85 decibels, an airplane taking off creates a noise of 110 decibels.
But a person usually does not encounter noise levels of 140 decibels and above. The only exception is the sound of a shot, but this can hardly be attributed to everyday life.
Of course, it is impossible to completely protect ourselves from noise, but we ourselves are able to reduce its influence on ourselves and others. To do this, you just need to stop listening to your favorite artist, turning on his disc at full volume; having met an old friend or scolding a naughty child, it would be nice to express your emotions more restrained; put the car in the parking lot or in the garage, and not with the alarm turned on under the neighbor's window. And then a whole range of beautiful and pacifying sounds will open up for us: birdsong, leaves whispering, babies' laughter, which will help us survive in this harsh race for success, which is called life.
Magazine: Secrets of the 20th century №42. Author: Ekaterina Gordeenko