Ask five people what causes them to experience stress, and it’s likely that workplace frustrations, financial difficulties, personal relationships, or jam-packed daily schedules top the list. But there’s another, more subtle cause of stress that can be easily overlooked but is surprisingly impactful—environmental noise.
“Noise” can refer to any undesired sound—which distinguishes it from, say, the sound of a loved one’s voice, falling rain, or bird song—and it’s a fixed feature of urban life. Although hearing loss is often associated with prolonged exposure to loud noises, exposure to “noise pollution,” even at relatively low decibels, can pose a significant health risk. And those of us living in dense urban areas are inundated….