Noise Can Elevate Stress Hormones

Editor: I guess it should come as no big surprise that noise can cause stress. I've known that for a long time, and it seems that the older I get, the more I'm bothered by noise - and I don't just mean the stuff the kids call music today ;-)

Anyway, it was interesting to read an analysis of the issue. Here are a few excerpts. The full article is at: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/healthscience/134780868_noise21.html

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The dull roar of traffic, punctuated by the distinctive blats of Harleys and rumbles of muscle cars. The window-rattling vibration from the plane overhead. The rock music played by the guy across the street, who - like you - has thrown open his windows.

The big dog next door: Woof-woof-woof-woof-woof ... WOOF!

Very likely, researchers say, if somebody were to slap some monitors on you, they'd find your blood pressure up, breath coming a little faster, stomach starting to get a bit balky. They'd probably find you were having trouble concentrating, maybe even getting crabby.

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Everybody knows that Big Noise can permanently hurt your hearing. An epidemic of baby boomers with hearing damage - including former President Clinton - has reinforced warnings about ear-blasting rock concerts, close-by fireworks, gunfire and even saxophones. Even common noises at 85 decibels, a measurement of sound somewhere between the typical alarm clock and a lawn mower, can damage ears if they hang around long enough.

But what about that low-level noise? Dishwashers, traffic, music, vacuum cleaners, air conditioners, airplanes?

While such noise may not damage your hearing, researchers are finding that your body reacts to it in the same ways it does to other types of stress. Unwanted sound, says Cornell University noise researcher Gary Evans, "puts demands on you, and you try to cope with that - but some of the things you do to cope aren't very healthy."

Noise, says the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, can elevate blood pressure, cause fatigue, reduce sleep, increase frustration and anxiety, disturb digestion and impair concentration.

[snip]

Even when people say they're not being annoyed, their bodies can be experiencing detrimental changes, Evans said. Blood tests on workers in noisy offices found elevated stress hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine, even when they said they weren't bothered by the noise.

"You can get used to noise, and after a while it doesn't bother you too much," he said. "But you pay a heavy price for getting used to it, because it's something that does place demands on your system. You can figure out strategies to cope with it, but there is no free lunch."

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At the San Francisco Chronicle, restaurant critics carry meters that measure decibels. Noise ratings have gotten "tremendous feedback," says executive food and wine editor Michael Bauer. In his recent "top 100" list, he said, about 75 percent were rated "four bells" - environments in which people must raise their voices to talk. Many would-be diners tell him they avoid patronizing such noisy places, he noted.