by averageValentin on 4/24/23, 7:15 PM with 120 comments
by ThatGeoGuy on 4/24/23, 9:38 PM
Cities aren't loud; motor vehicles are. Tire noise near heavy stroads and highways are in particular egregious offenders. There's a lot of other points in the comments about some other urban nuisances (leaf blowers, anyone?) but I encourage anyone to walk around (yes, walk) while measuring the ambient noise levels with your smartphone's microphone.
It will be extremely obvious where the noise is coming from. This is an often misunderstood part of "the war on cars:" the stress gained from additional constant noise (e.g. like a highway) takes YEARS off our lives.
And don't get me started on how loud shops are in North America. For whatever reason they seem to always keep the volume three or four levels above comfortable, making it much harder to have a conversation without shouting at least a little.
It wasn't until I started traveling a lot that I started to notice any of this. You can have your quiet part of town, but often you get to your quiet part of town by driving through the noisiest part of town where a good number of people live and work.
by tppiotrowski on 4/24/23, 7:59 PM
This is due to stress. I have wondered for a long time how increased education contributes to cardio vascular risk as we are learning things to avoid and when we encounter them cortisol spikes. This could be red meat or sugar or UV rays or lack of sleep or lack of exercise or in this case too much noise etc.
by spacemadness on 4/24/23, 9:26 PM
by virtualwhys on 4/24/23, 8:44 PM
I'm not sure if it's due to their being used to loud/disturbing noise , or if Indians in general have some kind of ongoing inner Zen, but the amount of noise that the general population seems to completely ignore (e.g. a vehicle loudly and continuously honking right behind you as you walk) is really quite impressive.
I remember eating dinner at a restaurant in Rishikesh one night in a quiet remote-ish area. There were some workers about to unload a truck, and just in front of them on the restaurant grounds was a multi-generational Indian family all together enjoying their meal. I saw two of the workers casually hurl this big piece of sheet metal onto a metal trailer, resulting in a massive clash of ear piercing noise that the family somehow just ignored, not a head turn of annoyance (as would be typical in the west), just continue the conversation without skipping a beat -- amazing.
by ternaryoperator on 4/24/23, 9:04 PM
by PuppyTailWags on 4/24/23, 7:47 PM
by bedobi on 4/24/23, 8:46 PM
in my most recent neighborhoods (newly constructed multi use ones)
* my neighbors would have all-night parties
* people would revv and race their modded sports cars and hogs up and down driveways and the street (residential culdesac) at all hours of the day and night
* teams of leaf blowering maintenance workers walked around during the day
* an open air venue opened across the street. they had loud, bass heavy music that made the walls and furniture shake, and drunk people screaming, fighting and loitering past closing time (3am)
* a cross fit gym opened across the street. they also played loud, bass heavy music that made the walls and furniture shake, with cargo doors open and trainers and clients screaming and doing intervals in the street (they opened at 5am)
* a bbq restaurant opened across the street. it had a vent that released basically unfiltered smog around the clock. it made it impossible to be on the balcony or keep windows open, and it quickly built up a brown, sticky residue on surrounding buildings. EDIT here is a recording of one of the vents https://photos.app.goo.gl/gxNBn5LGkZBCQc9o6 note that right above it are the residential balconies and windows of the same building - would you want to live there? + you didn't need to live in that building to get the "benefits", the smog was generously distributed all over the neighborhood and came inside and made the clothes inside your closet smell even if your windows were closed
needless to say, it's impossible to function while living in such an environment, so I moved, only to find the new neighborhoods also plagued by the same things. (in case anyone is wondering, this was Broadbeach, Newstead and West End QLD Australia)
me I'm a hardcore YIMBY. I want to live in a mixed use urban environment with entertainment, exercise, restaurant and everything you need around. but it becomes impossible if it's 24-7. common sense hours like 08:00-22:00 would be good. oh and breathable air.
many residents asked council and state government especially about the hours of operation of the venues (if bars play music until 3 and gyms at 5, when are we supposed to sleep?) and the unfiltered smog coming from the vents (100% hazardous levels, especially since it's all day every day long term), but they said all of it was OK.
by wenc on 4/24/23, 9:49 PM
I wish there was something similar I could wear during sleep comfortably. I tried earplugs but somehow my sleep is less restful with them in. I suspect they either make my inside noises more noticeable or block airflow during night time breathing.
I guess the other more expensive solution is to move to an apartment facing a courtyard rather than the streets or to get heavy noise blocking curtains.
I know Bose used to make noise canceling sleep buds but I’m not sure how well they work. Since they’re discontinued I’m guessing not well.
by neilv on 4/24/23, 8:21 PM
by DoreenMichele on 4/24/23, 10:33 PM
Yeah, we need to up our game on making better places and it needs to be a holistic approach.
Re the stuff about heart health and noise sensitivity:
Magnesium deficiency can cause noise sensitivity. Magnesium is also critical to heart function, specifically the ability to keep the beat.
Furthermore, noise causes physical vibrations much like the beat of the heart, which is something you can listen for in a patient.
Armies historically marched to the beat of a drum because you can feel the vibrations even if you can't really hear it over the din of war.
You can put a baby to sleep by calming yourself and then holding them in your arms. The beat of your heart will not only set the pace for theirs, it will lend their heart some of your energy, making it easier for them and helping them to relax.
Given the constructive ways vibrations can impact us, it should be no surprise that vibrations from noise can also negatively impact the heart.
by Jeff_Brown on 4/24/23, 8:47 PM
Even my own brain appears to have acclimated somewhat, though. Last week I got some nice noise-canceling headphones, and each time I take them off I'm shocked to realize how noisy the environment is, unless I'm at home. (Actually even at home, when I'm running the air filter, to protect myself from a different kind of pollution ...)
by mhb on 4/24/23, 9:51 PM
"Stephanie Dutchen is manager of feature content and multimedia in the HMS Office of Communications and External Relations."
by JCM9 on 4/24/23, 9:06 PM
We’re seeing things like former green belts around airports now being turned into housing developments. There were no houses there in large part because of noise. Now developers move in and build big developments there with new residents screaming about how bad the noise is. Can’t make it up.
by albertgt on 4/24/23, 9:18 PM
by knocknock on 4/24/23, 8:00 PM
by wantlotsofcurry on 4/24/23, 9:06 PM
by NKosmatos on 4/24/23, 9:28 PM
I find it strange that in our modern houses the “weak” sound is so difficult to get blocked, whereas the “powerful” light can be easily kept out.
by jmugan on 4/24/23, 8:35 PM
by tayo42 on 4/24/23, 9:01 PM
by sylware on 4/24/23, 9:01 PM
I have been suffering from chronic parastesia... which I can _hear_!
Falling to sleep and focus are challenges everyday. No pause, no break, no cease fire.