Everyday noise levels could harm heart
Baku, May 21 (AZERTAC). Even the minor noise that fills everyday life, from the ring of a cell phone to the conversation that follows, may have short-term effects on heart function, a small new study suggests.
In the study of 110 adults equipped with portable heart monitors, researchers found that people`s heart rate tended to climb as their noise exposure increased -- even when the noise remained below 65 decibels. That`s about as loud as a normal conversation or laughter.
There was also a negative impact on people`s heart rate "variability" -- a measure of the heart`s adaptation to what is going on around you. Greater variability in the interval between heartbeats is better. When people are relaxed, the space between heartbeats is usually a bit longer as they exhale, and shorter as they inhale.
When people are stressed, however, some of that natural variation is lost. And studies have linked lesser heart rate variability to an increased risk of heart attack.
So does all of this mean you need to wear earplugs to protect your heart? Probably not, experts say.
For any one person, the effects of everyday noise on heart function may be small, said Charlotta Eriksson, a researcher at the Karolinska Institute, in Stockholm, Sweden. Eriksson was not involved in the study.
But since we are all exposed to noise, even a minor effect on heart health could be important on the broad "population level," said Eriksson, who has studied the effects of loud traffic -- from roads or airports -- on people`s blood pressure and heart function.
Research has consistently found links between loud workplaces and an increased risk of heart disease, said Dr. Wenqi Gan, a researcher at North Shore-LIJ Health System`s Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, in Manhasset, N.Y.
The evidence is more mixed when it comes to "community noise," like traffic sounds, said Gan, whose own research has found a connection.
He said the mixed results may be because it`s difficult to weed out the effects of community noise on individuals. You might live in a noisy section of a big city, but have good, sound-muffling windows, for example.
Other news in this section
