Honking horn and your hearing has a deep relationship.

In India, traffic jam ranks high among urban stressors. Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata are toppers when it comes to this nightmare, but Bangalore is very much in the running. In all the worry about air pollution, water pollution and social media noise ,few if any are worried about the noise pollution we face every day.

The road in front of my apartment complex had sparse traffic when we moved in almost seven years back. But for the last two years, the high volume increase in e-rickshaws led to massive traffic snarls making this road a de-clogger in the traffic system.

I could hardly sit in my bedroom without crying from the noise trauma. I thought this was bad until winter came and it got worse. With the AC unit silent there was no buffering the noise and with a little child around I couldn’t really live with a noise-canceling device stuck to my head.
I worried about me and my daughter. The little ears were exposed to so much noise that I could only pray that God helped protect her.

The more hearing loss worsens, louder the noise is required for you to hear. If you are comfortable with the excessive noise and hear television turned all the way up, you should check your ears. If you are listening to music with earphones and the volume way beyond the safe margin beware, your nerves may be silently crying.

Noise has an effect on your hearing and health in other aspects too. Occupational, social, personal and environmental noise exposures all add up in the long run. Noise-induced damage of hair cells and the nerve fibers are real.

Does noise really harm you?

Harmful effects of noise exposure include annoyance, anxiety, sleep issues, daytime sleepiness, increases incidence hypertension and cardiovascular disease. It also impairs cognitive performance in schoolchildren.

Have you ever wondered about your hearing? About the much-needed sense of hearing, which only becomes obvious when you have a cold and have a blocked ear? With the loud honking around it’s a wonder, that we can even hear!

But the e-autorickshaw which does not pollute the air, are roughly three times more than what we need in this small town. This makes traffic navigation impossible. If that wasn’t bad enough, the ceaseless honking could drive anyone crazy. This is where I realized pollution is a big equalizer.
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I wondered how the drivers of the scooters, bikes, cars, and e-rickshaws tolerated such high decibel noise for so long. People who are spending so much time exposed to loud noise are they even hearing?

Tinnitus or ringing sound in ear and a blocked ear may be the first warning for sudden hearing loss. It can occur both after acute or chronic noise trauma. It is one of the most difficult symptoms to tolerate and treat. Its effect on the quality of life is especially challenging. Tinnitus can cause sleep problems. disturbance, attention issues, and many other problems. Alcohol, tobacco abuse, diabetes mellitus, age-related hearing loss, and certain medicines can make matters worse.

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Statistics

In the USA and Europe, 26% of adults have a bilateral hearing disorder which makes hearing in noisy places difficult.

Age-adjusted prevalence in Asia is close to these stats.

According to WHO, 10% of the world remains exposed to sound which can cause noise-induced hearing loss.

More than 20 studies have some shocking facts related to children and noise trauma. The environmental noise exposure harms children’s learning outcomes as well as overall cognitive performance.

Sleep disturbance is easily the most disturbing non-auditory effect of environmental noise exposure causing long term harm. It alters daytime alertness, performance, quality of life, physical and mental health

Occupational noise-induced stress can cause burnout, poor wellbeing, and decreased work performance. Common warning signs include annoyance, irritation, fatigue, and tension headaches.

What can you do?

Personal, social and community awareness. Protect your ears. Awareness about the use of microphones, loud crackers and using industrial machines near households, schools, hospitals should be carefully monitored. Traffic sound levels must be controlled at all times.

Social and environmental noise exposure are important cogs in the wheel of increasing sound pollution. While Government and policymakers have a role to play, you can make a difference in your own way.

Reference:

1. Babisch W. Exposure to environmental noise: risks for health and the environment. Workshop on “sound level of motor vehicles”. Directorate General for Internal Policies of the European Parliament; Brussels: 2012. [accessed July 11, 2013]. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/document/activities/cont/201205/20120524ATT45762/20120524ATT45762EN.pdf. [Google Scholar]
2. Fuente A, Hickson L. Noise-induced hearing loss in Asia. Int J Audiol. 2011;50 (suppl):S3–10. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
3. Auditory and non-auditory effects of noise on health
   Mathias Basner, MD, Wolfgang Babisch, PhD, Prof. Adrian Davis, PhD, Mark Brink, PhD, Charlotte Clark, PhD, Sabine Janssen, PhD, and Prof. Stephen Stansfeld, PhD

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