Why noise is bad for your health -- and what you can do about it
-
0:05 - 0:07Do you hear that?
-
0:10 - 0:12Do you know what that is?
-
0:13 - 0:14Silence.
-
0:15 - 0:17The sound of silence.
-
0:17 - 0:20Simon and Garfunkel wrote a song about it.
-
0:20 - 0:23But silence is a pretty
rare commodity these days, -
0:23 - 0:27and we're all paying a price for it
in terms of our health -- -
0:27 - 0:30a surprisingly big price, as it turns out.
-
0:31 - 0:35Luckily, there are things
we can do right now, -
0:35 - 0:38both individually and as a society,
-
0:38 - 0:39to better protect our health
-
0:39 - 0:44and give us more of the benefits
of the sounds of silence. -
0:45 - 0:49I assume that most of you know that
too much noise is bad for your hearing. -
0:49 - 0:53Whenever you leave a concert or a bar
and you have that ringing in your ears, -
0:53 - 0:56you can be certain that you have done
some damage to your hearing, -
0:56 - 0:57likely permanent.
-
0:58 - 0:59And that's very important.
-
1:00 - 1:04However, noise affects our health
in many different ways beyond hearing. -
1:05 - 1:07They're less well-known,
-
1:07 - 1:10but they're just as dangerous
as the auditory effects. -
1:12 - 1:14So what do we mean
when we talk about noise? -
1:14 - 1:17Well, noise is defined as unwanted sound,
-
1:17 - 1:21and as such, both has
a physical component, the sound, -
1:21 - 1:23and a psychological component,
-
1:23 - 1:26the circumstances that make
the sound unwanted. -
1:26 - 1:29A very good example is a rock concert.
-
1:29 - 1:33A person attending the rock concert,
being exposed to 100 decibels, -
1:33 - 1:35does not think of the music as noise.
-
1:36 - 1:40This person likes the band, and even
paid a hundred dollars for the ticket, -
1:40 - 1:44so no matter how loud the music,
this person doesn't think of it as noise. -
1:45 - 1:49In contrast, think of a person living
three blocks away from the concert hall. -
1:50 - 1:52That person is trying to read a book,
-
1:52 - 1:55but cannot concentrate
because of the music. -
1:55 - 1:59And although the sound pressure levels
are much lower in this situation, -
1:59 - 2:02this person still thinks
of the music as noise, -
2:02 - 2:08and it may trigger reactions that can,
in the long run, have health consequences. -
2:09 - 2:12So why are quiet spaces so important?
-
2:13 - 2:17Because noise affects our health
in so many ways beyond hearing. -
2:17 - 2:23However, it's becoming increasingly
difficult to find quiet spaces -
2:23 - 2:27in times of constantly increasing traffic,
-
2:27 - 2:29growing urbanization,
-
2:29 - 2:31construction sites,
air-conditioning units, -
2:31 - 2:33leaf blowers, lawnmowers,
-
2:33 - 2:36outdoor concerts and bars,
personal music players, -
2:36 - 2:39and your neighbors partying until 3am.
-
2:39 - 2:41Whew!
-
2:41 - 2:44In 2011, the World Health
Organization estimated -
2:44 - 2:50that 1.6 million healthy life years
are lost every year -
2:50 - 2:53due to exposure to environmental noise
-
2:53 - 2:55in the Western European
member states alone. -
2:57 - 3:01One important effect of noise
is that it disturbs communication. -
3:01 - 3:04You may have to raise your voice
to be understood. -
3:04 - 3:07In extreme cases, you may even
have to pause the conversation. -
3:08 - 3:12It's also more likely to be misunderstood
in a noisy environment. -
3:12 - 3:15These are all likely reasons
why studies have found -
3:15 - 3:18that children who attend
schools in noisy areas -
3:19 - 3:22are more likely to lag behind their peers
in academic performance. -
3:24 - 3:26Another very important
health effect of noise -
3:26 - 3:29is the increased risk
for cardiovascular disease -
3:29 - 3:33in those who are exposed
to relevant noise levels -
3:33 - 3:35for prolonged periods of time.
-
3:35 - 3:37Noise is stress,
-
3:37 - 3:40especially if we have little
or no control over it. -
3:40 - 3:44Our body excretes stress hormones
like adrenaline and cortisol -
3:44 - 3:47that lead to changes
in the composition of our blood -
3:47 - 3:49and in the structure of our blood vessels,
-
3:49 - 3:53which have been shown to be stiffer
after a single night of noise exposure. -
3:54 - 3:58Epidemiological studies show associations
between the noise exposure -
3:58 - 4:02and an increased risk
for high blood pressure, -
4:02 - 4:04heart attacks and stroke,
-
4:04 - 4:07and although the overall risk increases
are relatively small, -
4:07 - 4:11this still constitutes
a major public health problem -
4:11 - 4:13because noise is so ubiquitous,
-
4:13 - 4:16and so many people are exposed
to relevant noise levels. -
4:17 - 4:20A recent study found that US society
-
4:20 - 4:25could save 3.9 billion dollars each year
-
4:25 - 4:29by lowering environmental
noise exposure by five decibels, -
4:29 - 4:32just by saving costs for treating
cardiovascular disease. -
4:33 - 4:37There are other diseases
like cancer, diabetes and obesity -
4:37 - 4:39that have been linked to noise exposure,
-
4:39 - 4:41but we do not have enough evidence yet
-
4:41 - 4:46to, in fact, conclude that these diseases
are caused by the noise. -
4:47 - 4:51Yet another important effect of noise
is sleep disturbance. -
4:51 - 4:54Sleep is a very active mechanism
that recuperates us -
4:54 - 4:56and prepares us for the next wake period.
-
4:57 - 5:01A quiet bedroom is a cornerstone
of what sleep researchers call -
5:01 - 5:02"a good sleep hygiene."
-
5:03 - 5:06And our auditory system
has a watchman function. -
5:06 - 5:09It's constantly monitoring
our environment for threats, -
5:09 - 5:11even while we're sleeping.
-
5:11 - 5:17So noise in the bedroom can cause a delay
in the time it takes us to fall asleep, -
5:17 - 5:19it can wake us up during the night,
-
5:19 - 5:23and it can prevent our blood pressure
from going down during the night. -
5:23 - 5:27We have the hypothesis that
if these noise-induced sleep disturbances -
5:27 - 5:29continue for months and years,
-
5:29 - 5:33then an increased risk for cardiovascular
disease is likely the consequence. -
5:34 - 5:38However, we are often not aware
of these noise-induced sleep disturbances, -
5:38 - 5:41because we are unconscious
while we're sleeping. -
5:41 - 5:45In the past, we've done studies
on the effects of traffic noise on sleep, -
5:45 - 5:48and research subjects would often
wake up in the morning and say, -
5:48 - 5:51"Ah, I had a wonderful night,
I fell asleep right away, -
5:51 - 5:53never really woke up."
-
5:53 - 5:55When we would go back
to the physiological signals -
5:55 - 5:57we had recorded during the night,
-
5:57 - 6:00we would often see numerous awakenings
-
6:00 - 6:03and a severely fragmented sleep structure.
-
6:03 - 6:08These awakenings were too brief
for the subjects to regain consciousness -
6:08 - 6:11and to remember them
during the next morning, -
6:11 - 6:14but they may nevertheless
have a profound impact -
6:14 - 6:16on how restful our sleep is.
-
6:18 - 6:20So when is loud too loud?
-
6:21 - 6:25A good sign of too loud is
once you start changing your behavior. -
6:26 - 6:28You may have to raise your voice
to be understood, -
6:28 - 6:30or you increase the volume of your TV.
-
6:31 - 6:34You're avoiding outside areas,
or you're closing your window. -
6:34 - 6:37You're moving your bedroom
to the basement of the house, -
6:37 - 6:40or you even have
sound insulation installed. -
6:40 - 6:43Many people will move away
to less noisy areas, -
6:43 - 6:46but obviously not everybody
can afford that. -
6:48 - 6:52So what can we do right now
to improve our sound environment -
6:52 - 6:54and to better protect our health?
-
6:54 - 6:58Well, first of all,
if something's too loud, speak up. -
6:59 - 7:01For example, many owners of movie theaters
-
7:01 - 7:06seem to think that only people hard
of hearing are still going to the movies. -
7:06 - 7:09If you complain about the noise
and nothing happens, -
7:09 - 7:11demand a refund and leave.
-
7:11 - 7:14That's the language that managers
typically do understand. -
7:15 - 7:18Also, talk to your children
about the health effects of noise -
7:18 - 7:23and that listening to loud music today
will have consequences when they're older. -
7:23 - 7:26You can also move your bedroom
to the quiet side of the house, -
7:26 - 7:29where your own building shields you
from road traffic noise. -
7:30 - 7:33If you're looking to rent
or buy a new place, -
7:33 - 7:35make low noise a priority.
-
7:35 - 7:38Visit the property during
different times of the day -
7:38 - 7:40and talk to the neighbors about noise.
-
7:41 - 7:45You can wear noise-canceling headphones
when you're traveling -
7:45 - 7:48or if your office has high
background noise levels. -
7:49 - 7:52In general, seek out quiet spaces,
-
7:52 - 7:55especially on the weekend
or when you're on vacation. -
7:55 - 7:58Allow your system to wind down.
-
7:59 - 8:01I, very appropriately for this talk,
-
8:01 - 8:04attended a noise conference
in Japan four years ago. -
8:04 - 8:08When I returned to the United States
and entered the airport, -
8:08 - 8:10a wall of sound hit me.
-
8:11 - 8:13This tells you that
we don't realize anymore -
8:13 - 8:15the constant degree
of noise pollution we're exposed to -
8:15 - 8:19and how much we could profit
from more quiet spaces. -
8:21 - 8:22What else can we do about noise?
-
8:23 - 8:27Well, very much like a carbon footprint,
we all have a noise footprint, -
8:27 - 8:30and there are things we can do
to make that noise footprint smaller. -
8:31 - 8:36For example, don't start mowing your lawn
at 7am on a Saturday morning. -
8:36 - 8:38Your neighbors will thank you.
-
8:38 - 8:41Or use a rake instead of a leaf blower.
-
8:41 - 8:45In general, noise reduction at the source
makes the most sense, -
8:45 - 8:48so whenever you're looking
to buy a new car, -
8:48 - 8:51air-conditioning unit,
blender, you name it, -
8:51 - 8:52make low noise a priority.
-
8:53 - 8:57Many manufacturers will list
the noise levels their devices generate, -
8:57 - 8:59and some even advertise with them.
-
8:59 - 9:01Use that information.
-
9:02 - 9:06Many people think that stronger noise
regulation and enforcement are good ideas, -
9:06 - 9:08even obvious solutions, perhaps,
-
9:08 - 9:10but it's not as easy as you may think,
-
9:10 - 9:13because many of the activities
that generate noise -
9:13 - 9:15also generate revenue.
-
9:15 - 9:20Think about an airport and all
the business that is associated with it. -
9:21 - 9:24Our research tells politicians
at what noise level -
9:24 - 9:27they can expect a certain health effect,
-
9:27 - 9:29and that helps inform better noise policy.
-
9:31 - 9:33Robert Koch supposedly once said,
-
9:33 - 9:38"One day, mankind will fight noise
as relentlessly as cholera and the pest." -
9:39 - 9:41I think we're there,
-
9:41 - 9:43and I hope that we will win this fight,
-
9:43 - 9:47and when we do, we can all have
a nice, quiet celebration. -
9:47 - 9:48(Laughter)
-
9:48 - 9:50Thank you.
-
9:50 - 9:52(Applause)
- Title:
- Why noise is bad for your health -- and what you can do about it
- Speaker:
- Mathias Basner
- Description:
-
Silence is a rare commodity these days. There's traffic, construction, air-conditioning, your neighbor's lawnmower ... and all this unwanted sound can have a surprising impact on your health, says noise researcher Mathias Basner. Discover the science behind how noise affects your health and sleep -- and how you can get more of the benefits of the sound of silence.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 10:04
Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for Why noise is bad for your health -- and what you can do about it | ||
Brian Greene approved English subtitles for Why noise is bad for your health -- and what you can do about it | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for Why noise is bad for your health -- and what you can do about it | ||
Camille Martínez accepted English subtitles for Why noise is bad for your health -- and what you can do about it | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for Why noise is bad for your health -- and what you can do about it | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for Why noise is bad for your health -- and what you can do about it | ||
Joseph Geni edited English subtitles for Why noise is bad for your health -- and what you can do about it | ||
Joseph Geni edited English subtitles for Why noise is bad for your health -- and what you can do about it |