That noise may not be so harmless

[BlackVelvet04]

Prompted by this discussion: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1158303

Noise and Health


Even ear-safe sound levels can cause nonauditory health effects if they chronically interfere with recreational activities such as sleep and relaxation, if they disturb communication and speech intelligibility, or if they interfere with mental tasks that require a high degree of attention and concentration (Evans and Lepore 1993). The signal-noise ratio (in terms of signal processing) should be at least 10 dB(A) to ensure undisturbed communication. High levels of classroom noise have been shown to affect cognitive performance (Bistrup et al. 2001). Reading and memory have been reported to be impaired in schoolchildren who were exposed to high levels of aircraft noise (Hygge et al. 2002). Some studies have shown higher stress hormone levels and higher mean blood pressure readings in children exposed to high levels of community noise (Babisch 2000; Passchier-Vermeer 2000).


Among other nonauditory health end points, short-term changes in circulation (including blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output, and vasoconstriction) as well as in levels of stress hormones (including epinephrine, norepinephrine, and corticosteroids) have been studied in experimental settings for many years (Babisch 2003; Berglund and Lindvall 1995). From this, the hypothesis emerged that persistent noise stress increases the risk of cardiovascular disorders including high blood pressure and ischemic heart disease. Classical biologic risk factors have been shown to be elevated in subjects who were exposed to high levels of traffic noise. Nowadays the biological plausibility of the association is established (Babisch 2002). Its rationale is the general stress concept:

* Sound/noise is a psychosocial stressor that activates the sympathetic and endocrine systems.
* Acute noise effects do not occur only at high sound levels in occupational settings, but also at relatively low environmental sound levels when, more importantly, certain activities such as concentration, relaxation, or sleep are disturbed.

http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2005/113-1/editorial.html

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. You know what noise bugs me?

The people screeching "why won't somebody think of the children?!"

[BlackVelvet04]

2. LOL.......

when I was a kid adults ruled the world, now that I'm an adult kids rule the world.

[Javaman]

6. Won't someone think of the adults???? nt

[BlackVelvet04]

9. You forgot the

PLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEASE!.

[Gregorian]

3. Wow. I just spent the last ten years thinking about this. Thanks for posting.

I've been plagued by seemingly insignificant sounds. I literally sold my beautiful farm because of subtle night time noise. It was heartbreaking. AND I started having headaches for the first time in my life.

Piston noise is killing us and most people don't even know it. Just the sensitive people are having a hard time living in this society. And it's infuriating to watch the mindless happy people running around as if everything is just fine. Damn. I'll spare the rest of the story. Nobody cares.

All I can say is thanks for posting it. See? I'm not a total freak! This modern world does have a detrimental effect on human beings. It's not just me!

[MindPilot]

11. I know how you feel.

I bought a house next to a nice playground and then they built a server farm. And it's a racist server farm. Just white noise, and only white noise. No noise diversity whatsoever. The parents of those servers should be held responsible for the racist noise their little servers create.

[MindPilot]

4. I wonder about all us computer guys who work in server rooms

It's white noise and it's constant--you don't even really notice it. But when the power goes out, you realize just how loud it really was.

That's true at home too. The first thing you notice when the power fails is the quiet.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. Oh, we're supposed to hate servers now too?

[tammywammy]

8. LOL

:rofl:

[MindPilot]

10. Illegal servers are running the processes American servers won't

Too many MCSEs are unable to practice their love with servers...

[Lance_Boyle]

14. Gawds.

If an MCSE ever put its filthy hands on any of my servers, I'd shoot it.

[Behind the Aegis]

15. LMAO!

:rofl: FUNNY SHIT!

[BlackVelvet04]

7. You're right.....

when my power goes out the first thing I notice is the lack of noise from the fridge. It's not really loud but it's constant.

[Gregorian]

12. It's the only good thing about the Super Bowl.

I remember the anger that filled me when I would open my doors during the Super Bowl. The low frequency roar that continuously fills the SF Bay Area would be gone.


In fact, I remember my first property. I went out on the chair that was overlooking the valley, and before I knew it three hours had passed. I had never heard nothing. In fact, I have met people who actually can't tolerate silence. Idiots. I find silence to be one of the greatest things on earth. And hardest to find, now.

[havocmom]

13. Too many kids in my 'hood do not have a clue how to entertain themselves

without use of some form of internal combustion engine. Five year olds with little motorcycles, mixing it up with 18 wheelers in the lot at the truck stop! Dangerous and the kids are so hard of hearing they have never learned to speak well by age 7-8. It is insane!

People who cannot stand being quiet for 20 minutes and HAVE to be on a cell phone most of the time. That is just plain sad.

No wonder so many don't have critical thinking skills. Too many have never had enough quiet to think at all.