Noise pollution is a common issue for most of the
international population. However, the specific finding directly related to
sleep disorders is still unknown. But it is also a fact that noise pollution
causes a grave disturbance in sleep. Noise whether it is due to road traffic,
air traffic or even public place, it causes a disturbance in sleep. A dark and
quiet place is ideal for sleep which refreshes your body organs and systems.
Noise disturbs your sleep and impairs the functions of body systems that are
associated with different stages of sleep.
Sources of noise pollution causing sleep disturbance
Noise can disturb your sleep at any stage. The severity of
disturbance depends on the nature and period of exposure. In daily life, we
face different types of noise pollution. However, the nocturnal noise is the
most dangerous because it affects our routine sleep which is necessary to
refresh body systems and to process the memory. Usually, we are exposed to
three types of noise. An intermittent noise caused by road traffic. Every
passing by vehicle leaves noise along with other environmental pollution. More
traffic produces more severe noise. A sleeping place near to the public
gatherings like amusement parks, concert halls also impairs sleep.
Air traffic is also a cause of sleep disturbance for the
people who live in the aircraft conduit areas. The noise during landing and
takeoff creates disturbance in sleep. The noise produced by industrial
machinery is one of the major noise pollution of the current era. The
industrial noise pollution also affects the sleep of the resident population of
those particular areas. Although, the people get used to with the routine
noise; however, it leaves long turn sleep disorders to the people who are
continuously exposed to the noise. Open railway traffic also a major source of
noise pollution for the general public residing close to the railway track.
How does noise ruin your sleep?
Noise impairs sleep in different ways. The continuous noise
irritates the sensory systems which usually go on rest during sleep. The
disturbance of sensory systems leaves bad effects on sleep in different ways.
For example, the brain registers and processes the memory during sleep. Due to
noise, the brain cannot perform this action which is directly associated with
different stages of sleep. So, the continuous noise is also a factor of sleep
deprivation because you cannot go in a deep sleep. The intermittent noise
causes sudden awaking from any stage of sleep. Along with awakening, the air
traffic sound also impairs the hearing sense. The effect of high pitch sound is
more harmful during sleep than awake.
Effect of sleep disturbance on body systems
The above-mentioned sources of noise are unavoidable for
every person in society. The noise leaves short term or long term effects on
our different body systems. The sleep is helpful for the proper functioning of
endocrine and metabolic processes in the body. The perturbation of these
functions further causes impairment of cardio-metabolic and psychiatric
disorders. The impairment of cardio-metabolic function leads to different types
of mood disorders. Stress and different types of biological changes are the
outcomes of nocturnal sleep disturbance.
As per research, the heart rate slowdowns during sleep. The
sudden awakening with noise necessitates the sudden increase in the heart rate.
This effect on noise on the heart generates different types of cardiovascular
problems.
The effects of noise pollution on the sensory systems also
leave different types of psychiatric problems on sufferers. Prolonged stress,
fatigue, anxiety, and depression are also the known outcomes of deprivation of
sleep.
The disturbance in the digestive system is associated with
sleep. The quiet deep sleep allows the digestive system to work properly.
Recommendations:
The above discussion proves that noise pollution is a solid
cause of sleep disturbance. Especially, the disturbance of nocturnal sleep
leaves more adverse effects on human health. Therefore, exposure to noise
during sleep should be minimized or avoided.
Sleeping in the dark and soundless room is preferably
recommended. However, if a suitable environment is not accessible, the earmuffs
can reduce the effects of noise. The other measures to reduce the intensity of
noise can be practiced as per the availability. The basic aim of taking
measures is to avoid or minimize the effects of noise pollution.
