Ordinary noise--such as conversations outside your office, the constant clanking of the radiator in your bedroom, or traffic outside your window--may take a toll on your health. Studies have found the following effects of such sounds:

Increased heart-attack risk. Men living for at least 10 years near streets with heavy traffic were 80 percent more likely to have a heart attack than those living on quiet streets.

Poor sleep. One review of the evidence concluded that noise, particularly from intermittent traffic, significantly disturbed sleep and worsened mood and performance the next day.

More stress, less motivation. Low-level office noise, notably from talking, raised levels of a major stress hormone and reduced workers’ ability to solve a puzzle and get physically comfortable.

Less efficiency, more fatigue. Typical sound levels in an open office made workers feel more tired and decreased their concentration and productivity. Other research suggests that intelligible speech is more disturbing than muffled speech or continuous sound, like rainfall.

Reduced creativity. Poems written by volunteers exposed to noise typical of a crowded restaurant were considered less creative than those written in silence.


SOUND SOLUTIONS

Here are some good ways to reduce the noise pollution in your life:

This article first appeared in the January 2007 issue of Consumer Reports on Health.