Traffic and other transport, urban leisure, works ... We live surrounded by sounds not exactly very pleasant, noises. The World Health Organization notes that There is a direct relationship between excessive noise and increased cardiovascular disease, the appearance of hearing loss, psychological disorders or cognitive problems in people. Children, more sensitive to noise, are not exempt from these risks.
According to the “Noise and Health” Report, 20% of the Spanish population is subject to a noise level that can affect their health, something that can be extrapolated to other countries. Many people live with noise levels that exceed the levels considered adequate for human health and many others are subject to lower rates, but which can also cause health problems if they are prolonged over time.
The European Commission of the World Health Organization estimates that because of the noise each year Europeans lose 1.6 million years of healthy life and specifically 45,000 years of healthy life due to the cognitive deterioration caused by environmental noise in children. This calculation is made by combining the potential years of life lost by premature deaths and the equivalent years of healthy life not enjoyed by having a deteriorated state of health.
But if we go to more tangible examples, the effects of loud noises on children's health They can range from hearing loss to sleep disorders. And the noise affects us already before birth, when the sense of hearing already develops. A noisy environment can alter the health of the fetus, causing hearing loss or stunted growth, if the mother has been exposed to chronic noise during pregnancy.
Newborns are also very sensitive and as they grow, we are likely to be less aware of the noises that affect children. Noise pollution in the environment is an environmental factor that bothers us and harms our well-being, also affecting our attention span, stress levels, nervousness or irritability.
It is proven that living surrounded by noise can also cause learning and memory disorders, decreases motivation and performance, impairs reading attention and problem solving ... Children who live in noisy homes tend to have less cognitive, language development , may suffer attention deficits and may appear negative effects on their self-esteem or generate anxiety.
Thus, in the case of children, it is important that schools are well insulated to avoid exposure to external places and that in common spaces a harmful level of decibels is avoided (although this can be complicated at lunchtime ...). At home, common sense tells us that we should not put music or television at inappropriate levels (also for the complaints of neighbors) and less with headphones.
In this sense, adequate education and awareness for children can prevent them from being exposed to excessive noise in the future or at least protect themselves, for example at concerts. Specialists point out that hearing loss appears at an earlier age. Be aware of the warning signs of hearing impairment.
In communities, cities ... authorities may be required to regulate the volume of traffic, to favor public transport or the use of bicycles, to install sound barriers, to have parks and recreational spaces in appropriate places ... No It's always easy, but together you can achieve a healthier environment acoustically speaking.
Even so, as we say there are times when it is difficult to avoid excess decibels. You in your daily life, Do you consider that children are exposed to excessive noise? They say that Spain is the second noisiest country in the world (what will it be in Japan, which is the first!) And the one with the highest population rate exposed to high noise levels.
