As noise grows, health can suffer

In a world of growing cities and expanding suburban areas, the issue of noise is becoming an ever more prevalent problem. Finding a place of quiet is something that some people consider essential, and it’s becoming more difficult every day.

Cedar falls is not a place that suffers from the constant disruption of noise like other cities do, but the effects can already be seen slowly creeping in as Cedar Falls continues to grow bigger. Busier roads, more activity, more people that are up at night, all lead to a greater level of constant noise that is produced in a place like Cedar Falls. 

Too much exposure to constant noise can have adverse effects on people’s hearing, and even their overall health. Too much noise has two main health effects. Most notably is a person’s hearing, causing it to deteriorate at a faster rate, which leads to an overall loss in hearing sooner that would be considered normal.

 Another less noticeable effect of noise happens gradually to people who become used to the background noise as a part of their daily lives. These people are constantly in a heightened state of alertness that their brain constantly has active due to the constant sound. People won’t notice this, however, until they are somewhere that is truly quiet, like being out in the wilderness. It might seem eerily quiet, even too quiet, and they will feel a greater sense of tension and unease as they adjust to being without constant background noise. 

Cedar Falls does not have this issue, but as the town continues to grow, it will become more and more of a problem. Steps have already been taken to try and lessen the noise in the busiest places in the city. Along Greenhill road, tall fences have been erected for some time that catch the noise from the road and stop it from bothering the houses on the other side. There is also a general divide between areas that are busier at night, and areas where people live. Cedar falls also has a generally even population density, 

However there are noisy offenders that simply cannot be stopped, and have most likely caused a large amount of hearing damage. People listening to headphones, mostly music, have already caused irreparable damage to their ears, and will probably continue to do so. While headphones do have a safe volume level, people are not forced to adhere to it, and most don’t, instead choosing to listen to music loud. 

Too much noise for too long can lead to an increase in stress levels, and has been proven to be associated with a higher chance of heart problems later in life. Unfortunately as the world grows ever larger, places of quiet are dwindling, so enjoy the places where you can still find silence.