- 3 min read

Say No to Noise Pollution!

Discover how to deal with noises out of your control by using noise cancelation and safe hearing, with Tunefork.

The world around us is full of noise. From the pounding of construction workers against the pavement and the honking of car horns during your daily commute to the “white noise” caused by the collective hum of people milling around as you cross the street. Noise is everywhere, and it isn’t always in our control, but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored.

According to the World Health Organization, noise pollution is defined as regular exposure to elevated sound levels that may lead to adverse effects on humans and other living organisms. And while it may be easy to overlook the constant noises you’ve become accustomed to, the louder the noise, the less time you have to be safely exposed to it, before it begins to adversely affect your health and hearing. In fact, exposure to sounds louder than 5 decibels (dB) for longer than eight hours can be permanently damaging, whether you notice them… or not.

Power tools. First responder sirens. Car horns. Televisions. Radios. Household appliances. Even coworker banter and brainstorming. Whether you like it or not, when it comes to noise pollution, you simply can’t tune it out.

Here’s why you should go the extra mile to protect your ears from noise pollution, and how you can do so successfully, through noise cancelation and safe hearing with Tunefork.

Protect your ears, protect your health

Not only do the cumulative effects of years of exposure to noise pollution threaten to cause profound and lasting hearing loss, but they are also linked to a host of health issues, including, but not limited to:

Stress
Anxiety
Depression
Sleep difficulties
High blood pressure
Hypertension
Dementia

This is because noise affects your ability to think clearly, preventing you from both relaxing and coming to timely and well-thought-out decisions. As a result, your mind struggles to resolve issues with which you are dealing, causing your heart to race and you to literally lose sleep over it. As such, it makes perfect sense that the WHO has identified noise pollution as a significant global threat to economic and social wellbeing.

It, therefore, goes without saying that something must be done about the noise pollution in your midst - and fast, to upend the status quo and protect (and even improve) your quality of life.

How can you prevent damage from noise pollution and live healthier, happier lives?

While it’s nearly impossible to avoid exposure to all sources of noise pollution in your midst at all times, you can take care to protect your hearing, thereby reducing your chances of suffering from hearing loss.

How?

Two words: noise cancelation.

Sometimes, you’ll be able to turn down the volume on a television or radio, or walk away from particularly loud sounds, but other times, you won’t be able to change the noise or its volume. Some recommend wearing earplugs when you may be exposed to noises that are louder than 85 dB. However, to secure the maximum protection for your ears, you should ideally use noise-canceling headphones, as they are capable of blocking out the many competing background noises in your midst.

Note that noise-canceling headphones are preferred to noise-canceling earbuds, as the latter directs any audio you may play directly into the ear canal, which has been linked to hearing loss, in the long-term. Remember that even when wearing noise-canceling headphones, it’s important to limit your listening time AND your volume. As a general rule, you should listen to your music device for up to 60 minutes a day, at 60 percent of its maximum volume. When your time is up, simply turn off your audio and head on over to a quiet space to let your ears rest.