How Constant Noise Keeps Us Chronically Stressed
KEY POINTS
Excessive noise has been linked to a loss of 1.6 million years of healthy life in Western Europe each year.
Excessive noise is associated with cardiovascular disease and psychiatric problems.
Nighttime noise can disrupt sleep and lead to additional stress on the body.
When we think of pollution, we often think of things like litter, smog, and toxic waste. We also tend to think of certain types of pollution as affecting certain organs. As a very clear example, we recognize that poor air quality can impact lung health, or that contaminated water and food can cause GI problems. The relationship is not ambiguous.
When we start to talk about other forms of pollution, such as light pollution or noise pollution, their effects on the body become more abstract and the relationship more tenuous. True, very loud noises can certainly damage the ears and lead to tinnitus, but the notion that an individual’s overall health and well-being can be adversely affected by noise pollution over time seems unnecessarily alarmist. Unfortunately, there are signs that cause for alarm is warranted.
In vertebrates, the stress response primarily falls under the domain of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which regulates vital processes like heart rate, vasculature, and even sexual arousal through the release of stress hormones and other neurophysiological responses. It consists of two divisions: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which primes our body for danger, and the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS), which brings us back to a state of relative calm once the threat has passed. The SNS is responsible for what’s known as the fight or flight response, while the domain of the PSNS is rest and digest.
There are far too many parts of the system to describe at length, but the central alarm system of the SNS does deserve special attention. Known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, it consists of a region of the brain known as the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and adrenal glands. These three components work in concert to trigger the hormonal and neurological cascade when we feel threatened and activate the SNS. We may believe that we have healthy coping mechanisms to deal with human problems, particularly those that manage deadlines and frustrations with modern technology, but the HPA axis still gets triggered no matter the source of the stress—even chronic and low-level stress.
This can become problematic. When stress becomes constant and overwhelming, the PSNS may not be able to bring the body back to homeostasis. Instead, the unresolved stress begins to manifest as oxidative stress and systemic inflammation, which can lead to hypertension, stiffened blood vessels, plaque buildup, and even psychological symptoms like anxiety and depression. If left unresolved, these problems can contribute to obesity and diabetes, as well as increase the risk of serious cardiovascular disease and even some autoimmune disorders.
Read the full available article on Psychology Today
Reflection: Do you experience that constant noise has a negative impact on us in terms of chronic stress?
#Stress #Noise #Chronic
Yes i live in a city and the constant noise is distracting and unpleasant, keeps me from sleeping well
@yuue
Yeah I understand :( That must be really annoying. What have you tried to cancel the noise or to reduce it?
I try to normalise it by spending time sitting outside and listening to it. My room would be quiet if i didn’t need the window open all the time- it gets pretty stuffy. I try to ignore it, just block it out mentally. It drove me crazy before, i thought i was hearing all technology. And the radiator sounds like voices sometimes 😣
@professionalVision2624
Hello! I can sure relate to a lot of irritating noise, especially at work in retail. They play music on the intercom/loudspeaker and it used to be so loud I wanted to take a gun and shoot all the speakers out. I do love music, but to hear the same songs played over and over in such a loud manner is very irritating and annoying to say the least. Since then the speaker in my department has been turned down and the music is not so loud. I am so grateful. That is one of the worst things about my job, is the constant loud music at my workplace.
@pineapplepeanut
Hello! <3 Yeah I agree! Those constant noises can be really irritating and especially if it has a loud volume :( I can relate to the feeling you had and it's often a wonderful feeling if the sound suddenly stops as your ears feel at peace <3
Thank you so much for your comment! :)
So many times I have gotten overwhelmed at work from the neverending noises. I've learned to put my noise cancelling headphones in to block it out. I just leave them off so I can still hear if someone teys to get my attention. I guess ear plugs would work too. Same at home. People watching TV , wat hing internet videos, talking. Pets, its all too much sometimes.
@orangeTriangle4803
Mhhhhh :( I'm sorry to hear that, I agree that loud noises and constant noises can be really distrcting and overhelming at times. Do you try and do something to calm down when you feel overwhelmed from all the noise? <3
I try and distract myself by drawing or playing a game, sometimes reading works.
@orangeTriangle4803
That sounds like really good coping mechanisms <3
@professionalVision2624
Hi, I totally agree! My tinnitus causes an annoying stress on me when it gets really loud, but it's with me all the time. I sit in my car with the radio on low to try to dull the ringing. Is this going to affect my life span?
Blessings, Day
@juliak1968
Hi there! <3 I'm sorry to hear that you got tinnitus :( And no, I wouldn't worry about it causing a shorter lifespan but I can say, gererally speaking, that it's better for both or mental and physical health to sometimes disconnect and try to find a silent space to recharge and rest our mind and ears from the constant noises we hear everyday.
@professionalVision2624
I have tinnitus and I can't even remember anymore how silence sounds, it is real frustrating and stressful at times when it's real loud, it's hard to sleep or relax and the first thing I notice when I wake up it's the buzzing and ringing and I can't wear headphones or stuff cause it just makes it louder, sometimes when the ringing is real loud it's hard to concentrate on anything else and any other external noise makes it worse, so yea I get real anxious and panicky at times, there are days when it frustrates me real and and I wish I could just have a moment of silenece, just one freaking minute. On good days I can forget I have it and drown it with white noise. But yea it makes life stressful and overwhelming and specially moments when I want to just rest or have some peace cause it's always there, constant noise.
@ALeXaNdEr0712
Mhhhh I can only imagine what you are going through :( How do you cope with having tinitus? Have you found something else than white noise to reduce the ringing?
@professionalVision2624
Binaural beats help too and mostly distractions, I can't do anything but live with it and I can't lose my cool and panic all the time so just take it easy and try to forget I have it and distract myself, it gets easier with time when I first got it it used to be real loud for like a year and I used to have a lot of panic attacks, it was so loud it used to wake me up when i was sleeping. Now I know it gets loud at times but gotta try to be patient and distract myself. I just find some soothing sounds like a waterfall or nature sounds that helps too. I think I just had to get used to always have some sound and I rather have some nature sounds all the time than the ringing at least that's more calming.
@ALeXaNdEr0712
I'm happy to hear that you have found ways to manage it better <3 And that nature sounds are able to help you deal with the constant ringing in your ears <3