The sound of silence: is cutting out noise the answer to a stress-free life?

Written by Poppy Szkiler

More than half of us feel that noise in the workplace affects our performance, while the constant onslaught of sound in our daily lives can damage our health 

‘Because we can’t see it, it’s easy to overlook the serious impact that noise can have on our health.’ 

We all know the importance of a little peace and quiet, but how often do we actually manage to escape the noise and get a moment of silence?

Peace is a precious commodity in a world where persistent noise has become part of the daily commute. We are surrounded by sound; from angry car horns to relentless beats escaping from other people’s headphones, and loudly spinning washing machines.

Sound is my family business. My grandfather John Connell OBE founded the Noise Abatement Society in 1959, after lobbying the Noise Abatement Act in parliament. My mother, Gloria Elliott, is now the chief executive of the charity. I founded Quiet Mark in 2012: an award for household tools, appliances and vehicles that reduce noise output but maintain high performance.

Because we can’t see it, it’s easy to overlook the serious impact that noise can have on our health. The World Health Organisation reports that 40% of Europe’s population is exposed to noise levels in excess of 55dB at night: a level that disturbs sleep, concentration and productivity, raises blood pressure and increases incidences of heart disease.

When the department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) and Quiet Mark surveyed 2,000 visitors to our Quiet House at the Ideal Home Show, 76% felt that the quality of their home life is affected by noise. A further 61% felt that noise in the workplace adversely affects how well they perform.

Photograph: Getty Images

Why is silence so important?

Silence is liberating. Thinking decisions through from beginning to end with no distractions is something I try to do for an hour each morning. Taking time out actually helps me to stay peaceful despite the demands of the rest of the day. Creativity flows and decisions download effortlessly. It can be a comfort in challenging times and a special way to solve problems.

A recent YouGov and Mental Health Foundation survey reported that 29% of people are stressed; while 24% suffer from anxiety and 17% from depression.

Of the 2,000 British adults surveyed, nearly half of workers struggle to switch off after work, and that nearly two thirds of people would be likely to take part in activities that reduce stress if given the option.

Sitting quietly could be the key, whether that’s at home before breakfast or with our work colleagues on the 14th floor of the office. Meditation has been shown to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, reduce chronic pain and improve sleep. Silence improves our health.

The power of silence has been embraced by the medical profession in recent years as a way of reducing stress and combating depression and anxiety. The NHS now, in some instances, prescribes the ancient art of meditation and mindfulness to patients when once they may have prescribed anti-depressants. Mindfulness has become the new buzzword for peace and quiet. Through the process of meditation patients are encouraged to be silent.

Mindfulness is entering the mainstream at a rapid rate. There’s an all party parliamentary group looking at the benefits of bringing mindfulness into public policy, while global companies such as Goldman Sachs and Google are offering it to their employees.

Taking time to be quiet forces us to think truthfully about ourselves and others in real time, to find answers beyond ourselves. It can be humbling but deeply rewarding. As uncomfortable as that may be, when we face up to reality we connect with who we really are and heal in that place.

Sometimes it may be impossible to get away from a ringing iPhone, a noisy work colleague or an overcrowded tube. But we do have the choice to put down the phone, step away from the computer, slow down and enjoy benefits of quietness.

Source: The Guardian 

Negative Effects of Noise Pollution

Many studies have been conducted to study the effects of noise pollution on health and wellness, and the results have shown that noise pollution can negatively impact you in the following ways:

Productivity

We all know that noise can be distracting, and research proves this. One study examined children exposed to airport noise and found that their reading ability and long-term memory was impaired. Those working in noisy office environments have also been found to be less cognitively motivated, and to have higher stress levels, according to a Cornell University study.

Health

Perhaps the most serious problem created by sound pollution is the impact it has on our health. Because sound pollution can trigger the body’s stress response, one of its major health effects ischronic stress and the high levels of stress hormones that go with it. As a result, noise pollution has also been linked with health problems such asheart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. 

It’s also been linked with musculoskeletal problems, as a Cornell University study on office noise found that those working in noisy office environments can also be less likely to ergonomically adjust their workstations for comfort, which can contribute to physical problems. Noise pollution can also impact sleep quality by preventing sleep and disrupting sleep cycles. And, perhaps most significantly, because chronic stress can lower your immunity to all disease, noise pollution is a general threat to health and wellness.

What can you do to protect yourself from chronic stress? This article on reducing the effects of noise pollution has some important ideas for you.

Info at Stress.About.Com

If You Can't Eliminate The Noise Pollution... Reduce it!

If you can’t eliminate noise from your environment, you can actually create a healthier environment by replacing stress-inducing environmental sounds with more pleasing ones. For example, you can reduce the impact of airport or city noise with a white noise machine or 'sound spa'. They play sounds ranging from waterfalls to rain to babbling brooks to basic static, and these sounds mask the more jarring environmental noises that can distract you or negatively affect your sleep. They can also make it easier to meditate or practice visualization techniques.

Additionally, you can drown out distracting sounds from a noisy office environment or neighborhood with music from your iPod or stereo and enjoy the stress management and health benefits of music while lessening the impact of the other noise. This can also improve your mood, boost your immunity, calm your physiology, or energize you. While you’re really trading some sounds for others, the sounds of nature or music can be more soothing and better for your health.

Info from: Stress.about.com

Stress and Noise Pollution: How You May Be At Risk

What Is Noise Pollution?

Noise pollution can be defined as intrusive noise that disrupts, distracts, or detracts from regular functioning. And while people mainly think of noise pollution as a problem of the big cities, with the competing sounds of more people in a smaller space, noise pollution can also be found in suburban neighborhoods (in the form of leaf blowers, lawn mowers, and home construction) and even individual homes and offices at levels that can have a negative impact on your health and productivity.

Causes of Noise Pollution 

While there are many different sources of noise pollution, there are some main culprits that have been researched and found to have a negative impact on health. They include the following:

Airplanes—It’s been well-documented that noise pollution from airplanes has a significant negative impact on the health and wellbeing of those who live close to airports. This can include heart disease, high blood pressure and chronic stress. (About.com’s Environment Guide has more information on the effects of airports and noise pollution.)

Cars--One of the complaints of those who live in big cities or on busy streets is the disruption from the sounds of traffic. Interestingly, though, even low levels of traffic noise can be damaging to people, and traffic noise is one of the most commonly experienced contributors to noise pollution.

Workplace Noise—Most of us may think of loud assembly lines or construction sites when we think of noise pollution in the workplace, and while these examples definitely apply, regular offices are not immune. With more people packed into busy office spaces, office noise is a common complaint. Co-workers who talk, drum their fingers on the desk, or offer other distracting noises can decrease the productivity of those around them without realizing it.

Home Sound--Many people don’t think of their homes as ‘noisy’, but if there’s a lot of activity in the home, including a constantly running t.v., this overall noise level can actually be a threat to concentration and a cause of stress. In fact, children from more noisy homes do suffer ill effects from this type of sound pollution that include less cognitive growth, delayed language skills, increased anxiety, and impaired resilience, according to a Purdue University professor in a related press release.

Info at Stress.About.Com

Noise is one of the great underappreciated health hazards of our time

Noise is no minor nuisance. It is one of the great underappreciated health hazards of our time—the secondhand smoke of our ears.

Noise pollution doesn't get the attention of A-list diseases, but there are a few crusaders raising their voices against the onslaught. One of them is Arline Bronzaft, a professor emeritus at the City University of New York.

What's the problem with this high-decibel world? "The most obvious one is hearing loss," Dr. Bronzaft says. Some 26 million adults are walking around with noise-induced hearing loss, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Noise also has a surprisingly potent effect on our stress level, cardiovascular system and concentration. In Paleo times, a loud noise signaled a threat, so noise triggers the release of the stress hormone cortisol, which raises blood pressure.

A University of British Columbia review of 6,300 people who work in noisy jobs found that they suffer two to three times more heart problems than those who work in quiet settings. A former World Health Organization official estimates (with a bit of alarmism) that noise-induced strain may cause 45,000 deadly heart attacks a year.

Noise also wreaks havoc on the brain. Dr. Bronzaft conducted a landmark study at a public school in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood, published in the journal Environment and Behavior in 1975. Some of the classrooms directly faced an elevated subway track. Every five minutes the students heard a train rattle by. Other classrooms were tucked on the opposite side of the building, away from the noise. The difference? By the sixth grade, the kids on the noisy side were nearly a year behind. Since then, her conclusions about the effects of noise on concentration have been backed up by a pile of other studies, on both students and adults.

Adapted from (and more info at) The Wall Street Journal

Image at http://www.websuccessteam.com/WSTblog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/iStock_000000405992XSmall.jpg

Ruído = stress no trabalho

O stress relacionado com o trabalho ocorre quando as exigências do trabalho superam a capacidade de resposta (ou de controlo) do trabalhador.

São muitos os factores que contribuem para o stress relacionado com o trabalho, sendo raro que um único factor causal provoque stress relacionado com o trabalho.

As condições físicas de trabalho podem constituir uma fonte de stress para os trabalhadores. O ruído ambiente no trabalho, ainda que a níveis que não exijam medidas tendentes a prevenir a perda de audição, pode provocar stress (por exemplo, o toque frequente de um telefone ou a vibração permanente de uma unidade de ar condicionado), embora o seu impacto surja, normalmente, associado a outros factores.

O impacto do ruído sobre os níveis de stress dos trabalhadores depende de uma vasta variedade de factores, nomeadamente:

• A natureza do ruído, incluindo o volume, o tom e a previsibilidade;
• A complexidade da tarefa a realizar pelo trabalhador; por exemplo, o ruído da conversa de outras pessoas pode constituir um factor de stress quando as tarefas requerem concentração;
• A profissão do trabalhador (por exemplo, os músicos podem sofrer de stress relacionado com o trabalho em resultado da sua preocupação com a perda de audição);
• O próprio trabalhador. Certos níveis de ruído podem, em determinadas circunstâncias, contribuir para um estado de stress, em especial quando a pessoa está cansada, e ser perfeitamente seguros noutras circunstâncias.

Informação acedida aqui