What does loud noise cause? The impact of noise on humans is a health factor. The effect of noise on children's bodies

For each of us there is natural noise level(25-30 decibels).

Such noise does not cause harm; moreover, it is considered comfortable for humans. In terms of volume, this is comparable to the rustling of leaves on trees (the rustling of leaves is 10-20 decibels)

In addition, each person has individual preferences regarding the level of noise around them.

According to sanitary standards, the noise level two meters from a residential building should not exceed 55 decibels.

In modern cities, these norms are constantly violated.

During normal conversation between people, the noise level reaches 40-50 decibels. A boiling kettle half a meter away from you “pulls” 40-50 decibels. A passing car creates noise of approximately 70 decibels. The same noise occurs 15 meters from a running tractor.

According to Specialists, the noise level on a 3-4 lane road, as well as on the sidewalk next to it, exceeds the norm by 20-25 decibels.

The leaders in noise levels are airports and train stations. The volume of a freight train is 100 decibels.

The noise level in the subway can reach 110 decibels.

But the noisiest transport is an airplane. Even a kilometer from the runway, the noise level from an airliner taking off and landing is more than 100 decibels.

What noise level is dangerous for humans?

According to GOSTs, constant exposure to noise at a level of 80 decibels or more is considered harmful. Production with this level of noise is considered harmful. A noise of 130 decibels causes a sensation of physical pain. At 150 decibels a person loses consciousness. Noise of 180 decibels is considered fatal to humans.

Constant “Noise attacks” do not go unnoticed for Hearing.

Loud noise can cause acoustic injury.

It can be acute or chronic.

Acute acoustic trauma arises from sharp sounds of great strength - for example, a train whistle heard dangerously close to the ear.

Its consequences are unpleasant: pain in the ear, accompanied by hemorrhage in the inner ear.

For some time, Hearing weakens greatly and a person may feel as if he has gone deaf.

Sometimes acoustic trauma can be combined with barotrauma—excessive pressure causes the eardrum to rupture and hemorrhage into the tympanic cavity. They die from this hair cells, responsible for the perception of sounds.

Chronic acoustic trauma occurs much more often. This is the case when the noise level in the premises is higher than permissible, but generally seems tolerable. With a long constant stay in such a room, Hearing becomes dull, because... the fatigue factor affects the organs of hearing.

Chronic acoustic trauma can be even more dangerous than acute one. Much depends on the height of the sounds. The most harmful are sounds with a high vibration frequency - more than 2000 Hz. The nerve cells of the inner ear react especially sensitively to such Sounds,

At high levels of Noise, hearing impairment appears after 1-2 years, at medium levels - after 10-12 years.

For representatives of some professions, Deafness is an occupational disease. The risk group includes boilermakers, riveters, weavers, motor testers, train drivers, etc.

How to protect your Hearing?

In noisy industries, workers use earplugs and headphones. This is a requirement of sanitary standards.

This is doubly important if you have to work indoors.

Try to create a comfortable sound environment at home and at work.

Choose the optimal volume for the radio and TV.

We often increase the volume “in reserve.” This is a bad habit that should be gradually abandoned.

If you are tormented by strong noise outside the window, double-glazed windows with a PVC profile or a wooden profile can be a salvation.

Take care of your Hearing and it will stay with you for many years!

We all know about the harmful effects of noise on human health. The very definition of this concept has a negative meaning: it is a chaotic combination of sounds that differ in frequency and strength.

But most often, when we talk about this phenomenon, we still mean household noise - this is an unwanted sound or even several different sounds that disturb the silence and irritate, preventing you from doing business.

Impact of noise on performance

The harm caused by irritating sounds while doing business is difficult to overestimate. Noise affects the cerebral cortex, causing a person to be either overly excited or overly inhibited. Because of this, mental work sometimes becomes overwhelming, concentration falls, mistakes are constantly made in work, and fatigue sets in much faster and stronger than usual.

The effect of noise on the human body

Noise, whatever it is, will always have different effects on different people. It all depends on the individual sensitivity of people. Some are very susceptible, noises irritate them and make them want to leave the room, while others are able to continue going about their business, having become accustomed to such, albeit unpleasant, background. It depends on the internal parameters of perception. That is why the noise that a person himself makes may not be annoying, but what comes from outside can interfere. Of course, in this matter, what kind of noise it is also plays an important role: if a neighbor’s child is continuously crying or the sound of a hammer drill is heard, this is most often perceived as the most disturbing.

The impact of household noise on a person may differ depending on what the person is doing. It’s one thing if noise interferes with reading a book, and quite another if you have to wake up at night due to extraneous noise. In addition, if you work in a stressful situation, or are generally prone to worry, or have bad habits, then any noise will be more annoying for you.

The effect of noise on a person is not only mental, but also physical. As explained above, these symptoms will manifest themselves to varying degrees for different people, however, they are all possible:

  • the frequency of contractions of the heart muscle changes;
  • blood pressure decreases or increases;
  • blood flow to the brain decreases;

The effect of noise on the body will be strongest if it is permanent. Scientists conducted research and found that after 10 years of living in the city, there is an increase in the overall incidence of human disease. It is urban living conditions that are one of the causes of diseases such as hypertension or coronary heart disease, gastritis or stomach ulcers.

Effect of noise on hearing

It's no secret that loud music reproduced by equipment can reach 100 dBA. At concerts and nightclubs where electro-acoustic speakers are installed, the sound can reach up to 115 dBA. Staying in such places for a long time is dangerous, as there is a risk of irreversible hearing loss. To prevent this from happening, you should either limit your stay in such places or use muffling headphones.

A little about noise sources

In any residential building, the source of noise is household appliances and all kinds of sound-reproducing equipment. However, the most disturbing noises usually come from the area of ​​renovation: drilling or knocking on walls, moving furniture. In addition, people themselves make noise: walking, talking, the stomping of children. This alone makes a city apartment quite noisy.

However, the noise coming from the street - and this is especially true for residents of the lower floors - is no less destructive. Cars, special equipment, railway tracks or a runway passing by - all this has an even more destructive effect than household noise.

Many experts believe that of all the influences on a person’s senses, sounds are the most powerful.

The perception of sounds by humans begins from the embryonic period of development. Numerous domestic and foreign observations convincingly indicate that the fetus, especially in recent months, does not remain indifferent to the sounds of the external environment.

Professor B.S. Preobrazhensky, a full member of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences, pointed out that people are very sensitive to sounds of even low intensity, and therefore suffer very seriously from noise.

The human hearing organ is an extremely complex system. There are about 25 thousand cells in the inner ear that respond to sound. After passing through the external auditory canal, sound waves vibrate the eardrum, the auditory ossicles and the air in the tympanic cavity. Then, through the oval window, these vibrations are transmitted to the inner ear, where the primary irritation of the nerve elements occurs, which is transmitted along the auditory nerve to the brain.

For a long time it was believed that noise affects only the hearing organs. Therefore, for many years the effects of noise on humans have been studied from the point of view of its impact only on the hearing organs. Indeed, the human auditory organ is extremely sensitive to prolonged and strong sound effects. As a result, pathological changes occur in the auditory nerve, as well as in the sensitive cells of the inner ear. As a result, various types of hearing disorders occur, hearing loss develops, and deafness may occur.

The effect of noise on the human body as a whole has not been the subject of systematic study until recently. Nevertheless, numerous and varied results of observations both in our country and, especially, abroad, show that in no case should its importance be underestimated.

Permanent or temporary increase in blood pressure, increased irritability, decreased ability to concentrate thoughts, mental depression - this is not a complete list of the consequences of exposure to noise.

Noise is the cause and primary source of many serious diseases. Under the destructive influence of noise, diseases of the heart and blood vessels develop.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the most “loaded” system in the human body is the nervous system. And it is she who is primarily affected by noise in the most negative way!

Noise is the cause of numerous nervous diseases, chronic fatigue, premature fatigue, weakening of attention and memory, and an obstacle to normal rest and recuperation.

Noises have a profound irritating effect on the entire human body: they slow down mental reactions, cause irritability, accelerate the process of fatigue, change the speed of breathing and pulse, and disrupt metabolism.

Soviet doctors established, What:

  • Noise leads to dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract.
  • Under the influence of noise, the secretion of gastric juice decreases, acidity drops, contractions of the stomach and intestines become more sluggish and rare, food is poorly digested and retained, and the body becomes clogged.
  • Gastritis, an ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, most often occurs in people living or working in noisy environments.

Research by English scientists convincingly proven, What:

  • Under the influence of noise, the functioning of the cells of the cerebral cortex is disrupted, and signs of their exhaustion develop.
  • A noise of 50-60 dB causes a focus of sharp excitation to appear in the cerebral cortex.
  • High-frequency noise of 85 dB causes inhibition of the cerebral cortex and excitation of subcortical formations.
  • In addition to disturbances in the brain, shifts in the autonomic nervous system were discovered when exposed to noise on the human body.

According to Austrian scientists, noise is the cause of premature aging in 30 cases out of 100 and shortens the lives of people in large cities by 8-12 years!

Sudden loud noise (such as explosions) can cause permanent damage to the hearing system. There are numerous cases where a short-term unexpected noise brought people (mainly children) to blindness and stuttering, caused epileptic seizures.

Noise phenomena have the property of cumulation, i.e. accumulating in the body, they depress the nervous system more and more!

In this regard, one more circumstance is of great importance: vague noises that do not reach consciousness. Such noises, however, cause the expenditure of nervous energy, as a result of which they can cause disturbances in the body that are imperceptible for the time being.

If rare individual noises are repeated at regular intervals and the perceiver involuntarily waits for their repetition, then he may fall into a state of painful nervous excitement (excitement of anticipation), regardless of whether the noise is strong or not

“Someday a person will have to fight noise just as hard for the sake of his existence as he now fights cholera or the plague.” This catchphrase belongs to Robert Koch (1843-1910), the greatest bacteriologist and Nobel Prize winner.

Unfortunately, only recently have people begun to understand how justified the need for silence is for human health. Many even leave cities for the countryside in search of peace and quiet!

However, there are still many examples of how some immoral people completely ignore the fact that citizens living next to them are tired and in need of rest.

“Noise awakens in the ignorant the idea of ​​power”. This is what James Watt (1736-1819), the inventor of the steam engine, said about the owner of a steam engine who did not allow his machine to be adjusted to eliminate the noise it produced.

As for the direct and indirect culprits of noise, they usually do not have to suffer from it. After all, if they wish, they always have the opportunity at any moment, to one degree or another, to eliminate it! Conversely, persons exposed to noise without the ability to escape may suffer serious harm. Especially if they are engaged in mental work or relaxing after work.

The same can be said about workers and engineers employed in noisy production. Despite the apparent habit, noise can cause great harm to their health, undermine their physical strength and mental abilities. Proper noise protection increases labor productivity and product quality, and reduces occupational injuries.

The absence of noise is a factor that reduces fatigue and improves a person’s overall well-being. A protection from noise is, first of all, an affirmation of the value of the human person!

If earlier it was said that “cleanliness is the key to health,” now another truth is no less pressing: “Silence is the key to health!”

The more a person needs to relieve nervous tension and rest, the more he has to concentrate his creative abilities and strength to solve the problems of modern life.

Practice shows that household noise has the greatest impact on a person, i.e. so-called “neighbor noise”. The only solution to this problem is the installation of proper sound insulation, performed at a high professional level using highly effective sound-proofing and sound-absorbing modern materials. For example, ThermoZvukoIzol® and its modifications.

Harm of noise to health. Noise is the merging of different sounds into one discordant sound. It would seem how ordinary sounds can affect our health.

But in fact, sound vibrations have a negative impact on our well-being. How and why this happens, we will understand all this below.

In large cities, sound pollution is in no way inferior to the problem of air pollution.

Scientists have long found out that residents of large and noisy cities lose their hearing acuity and the population living in them in such conditions loses from ten to twelve years of life.

Normal noise level is between thirty and seventy decibels. However, in large cities the norm exceeds the level of eighty sound flow power units.

When the noise level exceeds the permissible norm, a person blood pressure rises And violated coherence of the heart.

A variety of pleasing sounds, such as the natural environment of nature, are always pleasant to humans. But today, such relaxation is not so easy to enjoy.

We increasingly have to enjoy transport and industrial sounds that are not so pleasant to the ear.

Noise is the source of many diseases. Various neuroses, increase in pressure, headache, insomnia and decline tone are just one of them.

However, there are a number of serious diseases, such as stomach and intestinal ulcers, skin and gastrointestinal diseases, which are directly related to the human nervous system. This is why silence is so beneficial for our body.

This is especially important at night, when the mind and body rest and gain new strength. In these conditions, a calm environment is simply vital.

To avoid the many effects of noise waves, scientists strongly recommend turning off everything that makes even the slightest sound in your home twice a week.

Telephone, computer, refrigerator, washing machine - all these household appliances prevent our body from relaxing and resting.

« Treatment with silence" - this is the name of many clinics in the West. A huge number of people pay a lot of money to be in silence. In such clinics there are no televisions, no music, and even no access to a telephone.

Complete sound insulation and detachment from the outside world helps to get rid of many ailments. As visitors to such hospitals assure, three days in silence improves well-being and overall health.

The noise itself is a rather insidious disease, because disturbances in the body do not occur immediately, and the body itself is defenseless against sounds. It is worth noting that women are much more susceptible to noise-related illnesses than men.

After all, women's hearing is able to detect noise of a higher frequency. Therefore, it is extremely important to be able to independently cope with sound aggressors.

To prevent the development of noise-related diseases in children, first of all, prohibit them from listening to music on headphones.

After school or public and noisy places, teach your child to rest. Read a book with him, do some drawing, and enjoy the inner calm sound produced only by breathing.

Noise sickness can be treated with noise, no matter how strange it may sound. Get yourself some recordings of natural sounds. nature such as birdsong, the sound of sea waves or the sound of rain. For example, the Japanese treat insomnia with the sounds of rain.

Therefore, do not be shy and take an example from Eastern medicine. New age music can be purchased. Many modern composers write music specifically for therapeutic purposes, the discs of which can be purchased in the most ordinary store.

You need to understand that each organism perceives sounds differently. Therefore, choosing music “to suit you” will not be so easy. In order to understand whether you are relaxed enough your body, check your pulse and monitor your breathing.

It should be smooth and calm. Measure these parameters before and after listening to the tune, so you will understand which music can relax your body best.

You should try to stay around noise aggressors for as little time as possible; go out into nature more with your family and friends. Find “your” secluded corner and enjoy what nature has given us.

1 According to researchers, “noise pollution”, which is now characteristic of large cities, reduces the life expectancy of their residents by 10-12 years. The negative impact on a person from the noise of a metropolis is 36% more significant than from smoking tobacco, which shortens a person’s life by an average of 6-8 years.

Noise is random vibrations of various physical natures, characterized by the complexity of their temporal and spectral structure. From a physiological point of view, noise can be called any unwanted sound (simple or complex) that interferes with the perception of useful sounds (human speech, signals, etc.), disrupts silence and has a harmful effect on a person.

The human body reacts differently to different levels of noise. Noise level 70-90 dB with prolonged exposure lead to diseases of the nervous system, and more 100 dB- to hearing loss, up to deafness.

Noise creates a significant load on the human nervous system, having a psychological effect on him. Noise can increase the levels of stress hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine in the blood - even during sleep. The longer these hormones are present in the circulatory system, the more likely they are to lead to life-threatening physiological problems.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular diseases can occur if a person is constantly exposed to loud noise at night 50 dB or higher - this is the noise produced by a street with light traffic. To cause insomnia, enough noise in 42 dB; to just become irritable - 35 dB(sound of whispering). Thousands of people in the UK and around the world are dying prematurely from heart problems caused by long-term exposure to noise levels, according to WHO.

Under the influence of noise from 85 - 90 dB hearing sensitivity at high frequencies decreases. A person complains of feeling unwell for a long time. Symptoms: headache, dizziness, nausea, excessive irritability. All this is the result of working in noisy conditions. Under the influence of strong noise, especially high-frequency noise, irreversible changes occur in the organ of hearing. At high noise levels, hearing sensitivity drops within 1 - 2 years, at medium levels it is detected much later, after 5 - 10 years, that is, hearing loss occurs slowly, the disease develops gradually. It is therefore especially important to take appropriate noise protection measures in advance. Today, almost everyone exposed to noise at work is at risk of becoming deaf.

Irkutsk is too noisy - today more than 1/3 of the city's population lives in the zone of acoustic discomfort. The urban noise of Irkutsk is determined mainly by traffic noise. Calculations of the level of transport noise in the city carried out by IGMU made it possible to identify vulnerable highway residential areas, where the noise level exceeds the permissible level by 6.5 dBA, and the noise in residential buildings by 4-13 dBA. The population living in highway areas notes a deterioration in health, headaches, sleep disturbances, problems with the functions of the cardiovascular system and the gastrointestinal tract.

An effective way to solve the noise problem is to reduce its level at the source through changes in technology and machine design. Measures of this type include replacing noisy processes with silent ones, impact processes with non-impact ones, for example, replacing riveting with soldering, forging and stamping with pressure processing; replacement of metal in some parts with silent materials, use of vibration insulation, mufflers, damping, soundproofing casings, etc.

Noise protection involves the following activities.

1)Sound absorption. Sound absorption is the process of transferring part of the energy of a sound wave into thermal energy of the medium in which sound propagates. For sound absorption, porous (the pores must be open on the side of the sound incidence and connected to each other) and loose fibrous materials (felt, mineral wool, cork, etc.) are used.

Sound-absorbing materials or structures made from them are mounted on the enclosing structures of the room without an air gap or at some distance from them.

2) Soundproofing. Sound insulation refers to the process of reducing the level of noise penetrating into the room through the fence.

The main parameter for assessing the sound insulation of any structure is the Rw index. It shows by how many decibels the noise level is reduced when using a soundproof structure. To achieve a noise level that is comfortable for humans (no more than 30 dB), interior partitions must have an Rw index of at least 50 dB.

Bibliographic link

Shishelova T.I., Malygina Yu.S., Nguyen Xuan Dat INFLUENCE OF NOISE ON THE HUMAN BODY // Advances in modern natural science. – 2009. – No. 8. – P. 14-15;
URL: http://natural-sciences.ru/ru/article/view?id=14048 (access date: 02/09/2020). We bring to your attention magazines published by the publishing house "Academy of Natural Sciences"