Living in a noisy area can put men at risk of infertility; here's how you can keep your house noise-free

Noise is a widespread and imposes auditory and non-auditory health consequences.

Could the noise be so harmful that it can cause infertility? Apparently, it can. A research says that exposure to environmental noise can put you at a risk of male infertility. Noise is a widespread and imposes auditory and non-auditory health consequences. Male fertility is significantly associated with daytime and nocturnal noise. The WHO night noise criteria are less than 55db. And exposure to noise beyond this level could adversely affect male reproduction system.

Scientists from Seoul National University in the Republic of Korea said that it is important to consider noise when assessing environmental conditions that contribute to infertility. The team analysed 2,06,492 men aged 20-59 from 2006-2013. The results revealed that in eight years, 3293 had an infertility diagnosis. After adjusting the data for variables like age, income, BMI and smoking, they found the chances of being diagnosed infertile were significantly higher in men exposed to noise over 55dB at night. "If this trend continues, humans in the future will not be able to have normal pregnancy and childbirth. If you are a man and suffer from infertility, you need to consider exposure to environmental pollution as a risk factor," Min added. "Infertility is becoming a significant public health issue because of unexpected adverse effects on the health and quality of life and heavy expenditures on the health system," said Jin-Young Min from the Seoul National University.

Noise has already been linked to a lot of things. Earlier some studies have already proved that living near a highway or in noisy places could put you at a risk of heart attack and it is one of the major causes of deafness. Noise, in the long run, may also increase stress levels and might elevate blood pressure too. It may further cause loss of sleep, increased heart rate and cardiovascular construction and changes in brain chemistry.

Here's how you can save yourself from bad noise at home:

1. Soundproof your space. It may be a little expensive. But one stitch in time saves nine.

2. Try to cut down the noise at your house at least. Keep noisy machines away from the place you sleep.

3. Meditation helps a lot. It will help you deal with noise and distress.

4. Use noise cancellation headphones.

5. Install noise-reducing insulation and glass.

Share this and spread awareness.

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[1] Kyoung-Bok Min, Jin-Young Min, Exposure to environmental noise and risk for male infertility: A population-based cohort study, Environmental Pollution, Volume 226, July 2017, Pages 118-124, ISSN 0269-7491, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.03.069.