The sympathetic nervous system is activated, the heart rate increases, blood pressure increases, and the body begins to produce inflammatory cells. Over time, these changes can cause chronic inflammation, high blood pressure, and plaque buildup on artery walls.
Complicating matters, when hearing at certain frequencies begins to decline due to age, illness, or injury, the auditory system becomes overworked and overdemands other frequencies. . This over-recruitment is helpful in that it allows you to hear softer sounds, but it can also amplify unwanted noise.
sound deadening tool
You can close your eyes, block your touch, and take away your sense of taste, but you can’t turn off your ears. They work all the time, or even especially when you’re sleeping. That’s one reason there isn’t a good treatment for noise sensitivity, Braut says. “When faced with painful sounds, or sounds that the brain mistakenly interprets as dangerous, it is very difficult to reduce the reactivity of the nervous system,” she says.
So it’s no wonder that Brout is a big believer in identifying tools and devices that help quiet the sounds in your environment. The most obvious, of course, are earplugs. Earplugs significantly reduce environmental noise by preventing sound waves from reaching the inner ear, which is where your body reacts to noise in the first place. Protective earmuffs work similarly and are usually more comfortable and easier to use than earplugs. However, in some environments, something smaller and more discreet may not be as practical.
“Common foam earplugs attenuate high frequencies, similar to the upper keyboard of a piano. However, specially designed earplugs, called hi-fi or ‘musician’s earplugs,’ reduce the sound evenly across all frequencies. ,” says Meinke. She uses a myriad of protective gear, including regular earmuffs and foam earplugs, to protect her ears in a variety of environments. She mowing the lawn, wears earplugs with high-fidelity filters when going to loud live music events or restaurants, and uses electron gun earplugs or earmuffs when researching firearm impulse noise.
A more sophisticated solution, and a birthday present from my sons last year, are Bluetooth-enabled noise-cancelling headphones. It emits sound waves that complement and cancel out surrounding noise. Thanks to this technology, you can listen to the latest true crime podcasts or indulge in Spotify’s Feel His Happy Him playlist while blocking out the sounds of your sons sparring in the same room. .
“These tools not only minimize the physical effects of noise pollution, but also give us a sense of control over the sounds in our environment,” says Braut. “Be sure to do your homework before purchasing. Some of these devices are legal and can be a blessing for people who are sensitive to sound, but others are essentially useless.”
Worried about accidentally drowning out the sounds of an approaching car while driving, a baby crying, or a dog having to open the door to pee? He states that if you wear earplugs that match the amount of attenuation, you will never be unable to hear anything.
environmental control
Whether it’s using high-tech tools or creative furniture, Meinke says it’s better to spend money upfront on effective prevention efforts than pay later on hearing aids or rehabilitation. . “You can modify the space and plan the noise level you want to achieve,” she says. “Soft window coverings, fabric art on the walls, absorbent floors, acoustic ceiling tiles, and wall treatments. All of these things help muffle sound.”
I don’t have thick curtains or sound-absorbing floors, but for now air purifier and white noise machine Use it in your home office to drown out disturbing sounds during work hours. I choose meditative soundscapes on YouTube. I also asked her husband and her sons for ideas on how we could work together to lower the volume. My youngest got the idea from school. His teacher uses his web-based tool called. bouncing ballto raise awareness of rising noise levels (other options include too noisy light and calm counter).
I pulled it up bouncing ball In Google Chrome, I watched in fascination as a bunch of brightly colored circles bounced around in response to the ambient noise level in my kitchen. Based on the sensitivity level I selected, if the noise was too loud, a noise alarm from the scene (not me) would tell the boys to be quiet. Soon, I was putting my laptop in the middle of the table when I ate. Sure, I know screens at mealtimes aren’t ideal, but deafening conversations aren’t great either, and most nights the cacophony was reduced to just noise.
While there’s no sure-fire solution to quieting the mind-boggling decibel levels in your home, using technology tools alongside self-care practices like getting enough sleep, taking breaks, and removing yourself from the chaos can help. It turns out that this creates a stressful sound. My dear boys’ produce has become easier to handle.
