Reducing noise for a healthier home...
How Noise Pollution Affects Your Health
In 2011, the World Health Organization published a study on the effects of noise pollution on people, and what they found out is alarming:
“The results indicate that at least one million healthy life years are lost every year from traffic-related noise in the western part of Europe.”
Annoyance and sleep disturbances were the two immediate consequences of the noise, and they led to a host of other health problems. (And it’s worthwhile to note that noise while you’re sleeping influences your health, even if it doesn’t wake you up). The problem isn’t confined to Europe, either. The American Academy of Nursing reports that “…studies conducted in the past 15 years document that noise exposures negatively affect health by contributing to many diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, obesity, developmental delays, mental illness, and reduced job and academic performance.”
Noise Impairs Learning and Work
Another scientific study focused on the effect background noise has on people’s ability to perform mental tasks and found that subjects did poorly in a noisy environment. The same holds true for school children, who are even more sensitive to their surroundings.
Reducing Noise Improves Health
The good news is, it’s a problem that can be corrected. In a New York elementary school near an elevated train track, student achievement rose measurably when railroad and education authorities worked together to reduce noise in the classroom by adding sound insulation.
Working and Learning at Home
Now more than ever, your home environment determines your health and well-being. If you (like many people) are working from home or homeschooling during the pandemic, a quiet, productive atmosphere is more of a necessity than a luxury. Finding ways to reduce noise at home will help the whole family be more successful. In fact, our brains regenerate and function in unique ways in response to silence. (If you have a few minutes, the article is a fascinating read. Did you know Finland has an entire tourism campaign based on silence?)
Reducing Noise Naturally
What if you could improve the sound insulation of your home, and improve your indoor air quality at the same time? Respira is on a mission to improve your quality of life by making your home healthier. Living walls make your home quieter by adding insulation and reducing sound reverberation. Plus, they’re beautiful to look at. That’s a win-win-win! Join our mailing list to learn more about our upcoming product release through the link on our landing page.