Whether it is sirens and car alarms, the whine/roar of jet aircraft, a chainsaw, mower, or whipper snipper being used for long periods, or your neighbour’s loud party, chances are urban noise pollution is or has driven you at some time to distraction. And as much as we seek it, finding real quiet seems almost impossible. Unfortunately, that is not a good thing.
According to an article that appeared in The Independent, constant noise can be hazardous to your health, affect your physical and mental state, and possibly even disrupt children’s learning. The article said that a variety of studies showed noise pollution has been linked with high blood pressure, deafness, a significantly increased risk of stroke and heart disease, fatigue, and a broad assortment of mood disturbances. It mentioned that 20 studies had found negative effects of either aircraft or road traffic noise on children’s reading ability and long-term memory. The studies found that the age at which children in the U.K. start to read was delayed by up to two months for each approximately five-decibel increase in aeroplane noise.
Short term help for a noisy problem
Some people rely on noise-dampening techniques, including furnishings such as rugs and window coverings while others listen to white noise. Still others have turned to music, meditation, or self-hypnosis. But Jonathon Ewald in a post to Life & Health Network has one extreme solution that may work—for traffic, aircraft, and noisy neighbours: ‘Move’, he suggests.