Many people notice an inability to focus, irritation and general discomfort when living and working surrounded by noise. However, noise can often have more serious health effects, such as hearing damage, high blood pressure and even increased the possibility of a heart attack!
So, how can we reduce noise pollution and create a healthier and more comfortable environment? Here are a few practical ways to fight noise.
Close The Windows
Open windows provide ample ventilation, but they also let plenty of noise inside. So, try to keep your windows closed during the busiest time of day or night to reduce the noise pollution in your environment.
However, make sure to properly ventilate your space using silent fans or air condition devices. Look for models that are powerful yet quiet. This means they can air out your space quickly, efficiently and with the least amount of noise pollution.
Turn The TV Down
Many of us love to keep the TV or radio on to serve as a backdrop during our daily activities and even during sleep. However, these constant stimuli can pose a distraction and even cause stress in the long run.
So, make sure to give yourself some time to clear out the brain and allow it to relax by turning off your TV or stereo, especially before you go to bed.
Install Carpets
Another simple, cheap and practical way to reduce noise pollution is to lay down wall-to-wall carpets. This solution can greatly help in noise control both in homes and offices.
Plus, carpets add warmth, softness, comfort and style to any space, especially if you choose a model with thicker fibers. If you’re concerned with maintenance, vinyl is a good alternative to carpets.
It has great sound absorption qualities and it’s very durable and easy to keep clean.
Better Insulation
If you live or work in a big city, you can often experience high noise levels caused by traffic like cars, motorcycles and even airplanes. However, there are ways you can reduce noise and create a calming and comfortable atmosphere.
Homes can greatly benefit from dual-paned windows and additional insulation, especially to outside walls. On the other hand, commercial buildings need more drastic steps since they are often surrounded by more auditory stimuli.
Luckily, there are companies that offer environmental noise control solutions that involve identifying sources, assessing the noise levels and providing businesses with designs that will reduce existing noise emission.
They can also provide you with installation services to ensure complete effectiveness.
Build A Fence
Another solution that can help keep the traffic noise away from your space is building a fence.
All sorts of barriers between your environment and outside world help reduce the strong sound waves and vibrations and ensure you have a more pleasant indoor and outdoor space. Plus, fences boost privacy and safety which is something that’s always welcome.
Rethink Your Layout
Both homes and offices can benefit from a strategic layout that helps control noise levels. For instance, situate noisy machines in areas that don’t get a lot of foot traffic or that are not close to living, sleeping or working spaces.
You can also group noisy spaces and quieter spaces together for easier noise management.
Providing a buffer space between noisy and quiet areas (like placing a closet between the bedroom or office and living room or conference room) will absorb some of the sounds and provide you with a quieter environment.
Replace Stressful Sounds With Pleasant Sounds
Sometimes, it’s practically impossible to eliminate and prevent noise in your environment. However, you can still help create a healthy and comfortable space by replacing sounds that trigger stress with sounds that are pleasing and relaxing.
There are sound spas that play different relaxing sounds from waterfall hum, rain or rainforest noises to plain white noise. These sounds can help mask annoying environmental noises that have negative health effects, affect mood and productivity and disturb sleep.
Plant Greenery
This might not be the most effective way to reduce noise, but it’s definitely the healthiest. Trees, shrubbery and other plants can absorb all sorts of urban noise. Plus, they improve air quality, have various aesthetic advantages and positively affect overall health.
Better noise management doesn’t only improve comfort and productivity in a certain environment, but also creates a healthier living and workspace that will produce amazing short- and long-term results.
You can find much more information on living a holistic lifestyle in these free magazines and on our YouTube channel.
Derek Lotts is a Sydney based writer and researcher, a regular contributor at Smooth Decorator blog. He writes about décor, gardening, recycling, ecology and business. He thinks all of these topics fall under the self-improvement category. He believes in the power of sharing ideas and communicating via the internet to achieve betterment. Facebook,Twitter
