Frizzy Hair

Frizzy hair is the effect of different individual hair fibers running in multiple directions, which is why frizzy hair has a rough feel to it. As a result, hair appears dry and frizzy instead of smooth and defined.

Frizzy hair happens when the cuticle layer of your hair is raised, which allows moisture to pass through and swell the strands. But, what is the cuticle layer? The cuticle layer refers to the outermost layer of the hair strand that protects the innermost layers of the hair shaft.

What Causes Frizzy Hair?

“There are essentially four primary factors that cause frizz,”. “The first is the environment, such as humidity. Hair fibers act like sponges and when exposed to moisture, the hydrophobic bonds created with styling products break as moisture moves in and out of the hair fiber. Then there’s the diameter of the hair fiber itself. As we learned previously, frizz is misaligned hair fibers and the thicker the hair fiber, the more difficult it is to reshape and realign. The third cause is related to how curly a person’s hair is. The curlier the hair, the greater the challenge it is to align the hair fibers.”

Curly hair can be prone to frizz, but certain hairstyles work to tame frizz and define your beautiful, curly hair. Lastly, The amount of damage to the hair leads to frizz. For instance, split ends, cuticle loss and breakage gives hair that frizzy look because the hair fibers aren’t uniform or aligned.”

Tips to avoid frizzy hair

1. Avoid using a terry cloth towel to dry your hair. Cloth towels can add damaging friction to your hair. Instead of drying your hair with a terry cloth towel, air dry your hair or use a microfiber towel.
2. Avoid using a traditional bristle hairbrush. Certain hairbrushes can damage hair cuticles and lead to frizz. Switch to a widetooth comb to prevent breakage.
3. Avoid using an old blow dryer. Traditional hair dryers use hot air to quickly dry your hair. Excess heat can damage your hair and lead to frizz. Instead, pick an ionic hair dryer to reduce damage while drying your hair.
4. Avoid washing your hair every day. Washing your hair too often can deplete your hair of moisture and raise your hair cuticles, both of which contribute to frizz. Instead, wash your hair 2-3 times a week to prevent frizz.

What causes Frizz?

Frizzy hair isn’t always easy to deal with and varies based on your hair type. Therefore, knowing what frizzy hair is and what causes it is the first step.

• Frizzy hair happens when all the different individual hair fibers are running in multiple directions.
• There are four primary factors that cause frizz: the environment, diameter of the hair fiber itself, level of curl, and the amount of damage.
• Avoid long and hot showers, excess exfoliation, and hot tools like traditional hairdryers and flat irons to prevent frizz.

Hair serum for frizz free hair

Hair serums may not be the magical elixir for thinning hair or hair loss, much less to promote hair growth. But it’s definitely the go-to frizzy hair treatment. A serum is formulated with a mix of argan oil, jojoba oil, and sunflower oil. Besides that, it features a custom blend of synthetic and naturally derived ingredients, including vitamin E, depending on your favourite hair goals. 

One of the greatest benefits of using a hair serum is its ability to block out humidity and create a sleek, polished finish. Simply put, there’s no better product to use when you’re trying to create that perfect glossy hair look.

Rather than just applying your serum to damp hair before heat styling, we suggest also using it in place of your hairspray to help tame any unruly strands. 

Simply rub a small amount of serum through the palm of your hands. Then, using two fingers, gently apply it to the strands using a pressing motion anywhere you want a smoother hair texture.

Serum only on the tresses and not the roots:

The idea of having super-shiny hair from root to tip may sound like a good idea in theory. But trust us when we say that, unlike a scalp treatment, you’ll want to avoid applying your serum directly on your roots or scalp. This holds especially true for those with naturally-fine  or oily hair, as even the most lightweight serums have the potential to weigh the hair down, cause product buildup, and make your roots look greasy.

For that reason, we always recommend applying your serum to the ends first and slowly working your way up to the mid-shafts. This will not only ensure that you don’t overload on the product, but that you’re also only applying it to the part of your hair that needs it most.

Don’t Apply Right Away:

Unlike hair oils, hair serums tend to be a little thicker in consistency, which can make working them into your hair a bit more difficult for some.

Our tip? Don’t try applying your hair serum as soon as you dispense it. Instead, try warming up the product between your hands for a few seconds so that it has the chance to break down and liquify a bit, giving you a little more slip. This’ll not only help your serum perform better but also ensure a more seamless, even application.

Don’t Over-Apply:

Whether your hair is long or short, thin or thick, there’s a fine line between looking perfectly polished and flat and greasy. That’s why it’s important to start with a small amount of serum and then gradually work in more only as needed.

When in doubt, start with the least number of pumps recommended for your hair type and then slowly build from there. Whatever you do, just remember: a little goes a long way.

Honey is a liquid sweetener that bees make. After they collect nectar from flowers, they take it back to the hive and regurgitate it. Then, the other bees chew it until it becomes honey. The bees deposit the honey into tiny, waxy storage units called honeycombs. They fan it with their wings to dry it out. This process makes it stickier.

“Honey gets its sweetness from its chemical makeup,”. “It’s made up of two simple sugars called glucose and fructose, along with some minerals.”

Types of honey

The U.S. boasts more than 300 different types of honey. You can buy it:

• Raw: Raw honey comes straight from the hive. “Raw honey is the least processed and probably has the most antioxidants,” Ilic says. Despite its raw status, it’s considered safe to eat except for children younger than 1, who should avoid all honey.
• Pasteurized: Pasteurized honey has been processed to remove imperfections and improve its shelf life. “It can also be spiked with added corn syrup or other sweeteners,” Ilic notes. “Not all honey sold in the stores is the same even though it all starts naturally in the hive.”

Why is some honey light and others dark?

Whether honey is light or dark in color depends on which kind of plant the bees who made it took the nectar from. “For instance, dark buckwheat yields dark honey,”. “But nutritionally, there’s evidence that darker honey has less water and more antioxidants than light-colored honey.”

Honey has so many different tastes you can enjoy compared to plain sugar, she adds. “It can be sweeter or more bitter, depending on the flower source.”

Light honey varieties

Light-colored honey tends to be mild in flavour. Varieties include:

• Acacia honey: It has floral scents and sweetness but doesn’t change the taste of what you put it in, such as tea and oatmeal.
• Clover honey: This honey is common in the U.S. “It has a floral, sweet taste and a bit of a sour aftertaste,”. “It’s good for baking, sauces and dressings.”

Dark honey varieties

Dark honeys are known for their stronger flavours. Examples include:

• Buckwheat honey: “This full-flavored honey can be used in marinades,” says Ilic.
• Manuka honey: Manuka honey comes from the nectar and pollen of the Manuka bush in New Zealand. “Studies have shown it contains antioxidants, along with antibacterial and antifungal properties. It’s also expensive,” adds Ilic. It’s traditionally used topically to treat burns, cuts and sores.

Is crystallized honey bad?

Store honey in a cool location away from sunlight. But sometimes, even in the perfect spot, honey can crystallize and solidify. “Honey with a higher ratio of glucose versus fructose crystallizes sooner,”. “Glucose may also attach to the little particles of honeycomb and pollen in raw honey and is more likely to crystallize as a result.”

But crystallized honey is still safe to eat: It can be used as a spread, like butter. You can also re-liquefy it by putting the container in a warm water bath.

Honey’s health benefits

Honey contains antioxidants, minerals, enzymes that have many potential health benefits. There’s also evidence that honey can:

• Soothe coughs: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics both endorse honey as a natural cough remedy. 
• Treat wounds and burns: Pharmaceutical-grade manuka honey dressings have been used in clinical settings to treat burns and pressure ulcers.

“Many other claims have been made about the health benefits of honey – some based on very small studies, others overstated and based on mixed study results,”. “Additional studies are needed.”

How to add honey to your diet

While honey has health qualities that other sugars only dream of, it’s still an added sugar — and eating too much of it can wreak havoc on your health. The American Heart Association recommends:

• Women: Consume no more than 6 teaspoons daily of added sugars (100 calories).
• Men: Consume no more than 9 teaspoons daily of added sugars (150 calories).

Those limits include all sources of added sugar in your diet, so use honey in moderation to avoid exceeding the limits. “Try sweetening plain yogurt with a light drizzle of honey and add your own fruit, instead of eating flavoured yogurt with too much added sugar.” You could also use honey in sauces and marinades or as a skin mask.

1.The Paleo Diet

The Paleo diet claims that you should eat the same foods that your hunter-gatherer ancestors ate before agriculture developed.

The theory is that most modern diseases can be linked to the Western diet and the consumption of grains, dairy, and processed foods.

While it’s debatable whether this diet really provides the same foods your ancestors ate, it is linked to several impressive health benefits.

How it works: The paleo diet emphasizes whole foods, lean protein, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, while discouraging processed foods, sugar, dairy, and grains.

Some more flexible versions of the paleo diet also allow for dairy like cheese and butter, as well as tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes.

2. The Vegan Diet

The vegan diet restricts all animal products for ethical, environmental, or health reasons.

Veganism is also associated with resistance to animal exploitation and cruelty.

How it works: Veganism is the strictest form of vegetarianism.

In addition to eliminating meat, it eliminates dairy, eggs, and animal-derived products, such as gelatin, honey, albumin, whey, casein, and some forms of vitamin D3.

3. Low-Carb Diets

Low- Carb diets have been popular for decades — especially for weight loss.

There are several types of low-carb diets, but all involve limiting carb intake to 20–150 grams per day.

The primary aim of the diet is to force your body to use more fats for fuel instead of using carbs as a main source of energy.

How it works: Low-carb diets emphasize unlimited amounts of protein and fat while severely limiting your carb intake.

When carb intake is very low, fatty acids are moved into your blood and transported to your liver, where some of them are turned into ketones.

Your body can then use fatty acids and ketones in the absence of carbs as its primary energy source.

Some people may experience an increase in “bad” LDL cholesterol.

In extremely rare cases, very low-carb diets can cause a serious condition called nondiabetic ketoacidosis. This condition seems to be more common in lactating women and can be fatal if left untreated

However, low-carb diets are safe for the majority of people.

4. The Dukan Diet

The Dukan diet is a high-protein, low-carb weight loss diet split into four phases — two weight loss phases and two maintenance phases.

How long you stay in each phase depends on how much weight you need to lose. Each phase has its own dietary pattern.

How it works: The weight loss phases are primarily based on eating unlimited high-protein foods and mandatory oat bran.

The other phases involve adding non-starchy vegetables followed by some carbs and fat. Later on, there will be fewer and fewer pure protein days to maintain your new weight.

5. The Ultra-Low-Fat Diet

An ultra low fat diet restricts your consumption of fat to under 10% of daily calories.

Generally, a low-fat diet provides around 30% of its calories as fat.

Studies reveal that this diet is ineffective for weight loss in the long term.

Proponents of the ultra-low-fat diet claim that traditional low-fat diets are not low enough in fat and that fat intake needs to stay under 10% of total calories to produce health benefits and weight loss.

How it works: An ultra-low-fat diet contains 10% or fewer calories from fat. The diet is mostly plant-based and has a limited intake of animal products.

Therefore, it’s generally very high in carbs — around 80% of calories — and low in protein — at 10% of calories.

6. The Atkins Diet

The Atkins diet is the most well-known low-carb weight loss diet.

Its proponents insist that you can lose weight by eating as much protein and fat as you like, as long as you avoid carbs.

The main reason why low-carb diets are so effective for weight loss is that they reduce your appetite.

This causes you to eat fewer calories without having to think about it

How it works: The Atkins diet is split into four phases. It starts with an induction phase, during which you eat under 20 grams of carbs per day for two weeks.

The other phases involve slowly reintroducing healthy carbs back into your diet as you approach your goal weight.

7. The HCG Diet

The HCG diet is an extreme diet meant to cause very fast weight loss of up to 1–2 pounds (0.45–1 kg) per day.

Its proponents claim that it boosts metabolism and fat loss without inducing hunger

HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a hormone present at high levels during early pregnancy.

It tells a woman’s body it’s pregnant and maintains the production of hormones that are important for foetal development. It has also been used to treat fertility issues

How it works: The diet is split into three phases. During the first phase, you begin taking HCG supplements.

During the second phase, you follow an ultra-low-calorie diet of only 500 calories per day, along with HCG supplement drops, pellets, injections, or sprays. The weight loss phase is prescribed for 3–6 weeks at a time.

In the third phase, you stop taking HCG and slowly increase your food intake.

In addition, most HCG products on the market are scams and don’t contain any HCG. Only injections are able to raise blood levels of this hormone.

Moreover, the diet has many side effects, including headaches, fatigue, and depression. There is also one report of a woman developing blood clots, most likely caused by the diet.

8. The Zone Diet

The Zone diet is a low-glycemic load diet that has you limit carbs to 35–45% of daily calories and protein and fat to 30% each.

It recommends eating only carbs with a low glycemic index (GI).

The GI of a food is an estimate of how much it raises your blood glucose levels after consumption.

The Zone Diet was initially developed to reduce diet-induced inflammation, cause weight loss, and reduce your risk of chronic diseases

How it works: The Zone Diet recommends balancing each meal with 1/3 protein, 2/3 colorful fruits and veggies, and a dash of fat — namely monounsaturated oil, such as olive oil, avocado, or almonds.

It also limits high-GI carbs, such as bananas, rice, and potatoes.

9. Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting cycles your body between periods of fasting and eating.

Rather than restricting the foods you eat, it controls when you eat them. Thus, it can be seen as more of an eating pattern than a diet.

The most popular ways to do intermittent fasting are:

• The 16/8 method: Involves skipping breakfast and restricting your daily eating period to eight hours, subsequently fasting for the remaining 16 hours of the day.
• The eat-stop-eat method: Involves 24-hour fasts once or twice per week on non-consecutive days.
• The 5:2 diet: On two non-consecutive days of the week, you restrict your intake to 500–600 calories. You do not restrict intake on the five remaining days.
• The Warrior Diet: Eat small amounts of raw fruits and vegetables during the day and one huge meal at night.

How it works: Intermittent fasting is commonly used for weight loss because it leads to relatively easy calorie restriction.

It can make you eat fewer calories overall — as long as you don’t overcompensate by eating much more during the eating periods.

Furthermore, intermittent fasting has been linked to increased levels of human growth hormone (HGH), improved insulin sensitivity, improved cellular repair, and altered gene expressions.

Animal studies also suggest that it may help new brain cells grow, lengthen lifespan, and protect against Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.

In addition, some people should avoid fasting, including those sensitive to drops in blood sugar levels, pregnant women, breastfeeding moms, teenagers, children, and people who are malnourished, underweight, or nutrient deficient.

Conclusion:

There is no perfect weight loss  diet.Different diets work for different people, and you should pick one that suits your lifestyle and tastes.The best diet for you is the one that you can stick to in the long term.

The science of Yoga has two aspects, the physical and the spiritual one. Therefore the relation of yoga with health has also two aspects. Firstly, the benefits that one gets through the physical aspect of Yoga and secondly the benefits that one gets through the spiritual aspect of Yoga.

The physical aspect has to do with the physical body; through asanas, pranayama, proper eating and cleansing techniques yoga leads to proper breathing, proper blood circulation, proper function of nervous system, proper function of endocrine system and flexibility and strengthening of muscles, all of which help one to obtain and maintain a healthy body.

The spiritual aspect of yoga has to do with the energy body and the spirit; again through asanas, pranayama, cleansing techniques and meditation yoga cleanses the energy body and leads to realisation of the oneness with the Supreme Being and the immortality of the soul. Cleaning the energy body is very important since problems to the energy body reflect to the physical.

Realising the oneness with the Supreme Being helps one to escape from the anxiety and the fear that our society generates, to feel total happiness and bliss and therefore be free of depression, stress and anxiety diseases.

The physical and spiritual benefits of Asanas, Pranayama, proper eating, cleansing techniques and meditation will be presented in the following paragraphs.

Asanas

Asanas can be divided in the following categories: Standing, twists, forward bend, backbend, inversion, balancing and relaxation asanas.

Every category has its own advantages.

Standing asanas develop strength, increase awareness of alignment. They are helpful in releasing poor posture and creating a strong, healthy body. Standing postures help to clean different chakras in the energy body.

For instance, the triangle pose cleans the manipura and the ajna chakra, the warrior poses clean the manipura, while the eagle pose cleans the anahata chakra. All of the standing poses work on the muladhara chakra, since the legs are used in all of them.

Twists increase the flexibility of the spine and lengthen all the muscles, tendons, and ligaments; they also strengthen and balance the deep spinal muscles providing in this way a healthy spine; furthermore they provide an internal massage to the internal organs and increase the blood circulation to all the valuable organs and glands, harmonising in this way the hormonal activity. Twists are very helpful asanas for detoxification of the body. All of the twists work on cleaning the manipura chakra.

Forward bending asanas stretch the hamstrings along with hips and also lengthen the spine. As with the twists they message abdominal organs, increase blood circulation and tone all the abdominal organs. Forward bending asanas are also very effective in curing depression, because they calm the nervous system. Forward bending asanas clean mostly the manipura, the swadisthana and the muladhara chakras.

Backward bending asanas on the one hand provide stretching and toning to the abdomen, the pelvis and the chest and on the other hand strengthen the back muscles, the buttocks, the legs and the arms. They also help to open the chest area promoting deep breathing. With back bends one feels that the heart opens and fills with energy and love. In many backbends the blood circulation in the thymus gland is increased and the gland is stimulated; therefore the immune system is strengthened. Backward bending asanas work mainly in the anahata and the swadisthana chakra, while some work also in the manipura chakra.

Inversion asanas mainly bring fresh blood to the brain and rest the heart and the veins by reversing the flow of the blood in the body. In this way the blood circulation is improved and the brain rejuvenated. The thyroid gland, the pituary gland and the hypothalamus are stimulated by the additional blood supply and therefore the whole endocrine system is enhanced. Inversion asanas work mainly in the vishuddhi and the sahasrara chakra.

Balancing asanas mainly increase the body awareness and focus the mind. Through balancing asanas one learns to be patient and persistent to achieve ones goal. Balancing asanas also strengthen the abdominal muscles and the muscles of the legs. Balancing asanas mainly help to focus and clean the ajna and the muladhara chakras.

Relaxation postures provide full relaxation to the muscles of the body and therefore relaxation, peace and harmony to the mind. During relaxation the body gains all the benefits from the previous asanas.

Pranayama

People in today’s world have a swallow upper chest breathing due to stress and the quick rhythms of life, instead of a deep diaphragmatic abdominal breathing. The swallow upper chest breathing has as a result fewer amounts of fresh oxygen and prana to enter to the human body, causing diseases, headaches and more. Pranayama is the control of prana, the life-force, the most important ingredient of the air that enters the body by breathing.

Through pranayama one learns to control the breath, one learns to use the diaphragm for deep diaphragmatic abdominal breathing, the lungs and the respiratory muscles are exercised, the body is energised and the bloodstream is oxygenated. Yogic breathing additionally massages the abdomen. Daily practising of yogic breathing trains the thoracic, diaphragmatic and abdominal muscles to operate efficiently all the day even during sleeping.

Another very important factor of yogic breathing concerning health is the exhalation. The exhalation, in most of the breathing techniques, is double time of the inhalation. This is a very significant factor for a healthier body. During exhalation the carbon dioxide is expelled from the lungs. The longer the exhalation the more carbon dioxide is expelled and therefore a greater amount of fresh oxygen can enter the lungs.

Additionally yogic breathing tones the nervous system, calms and concentrates the mind. Yogic breathing can also be used to energise, to relax, to vitalise and to disperse anxiety or fear.

Spiritually yogic breathing can be used to achieve equanimity and serenity of mind, slow controlled breath can bring calmness, quietness and stillness to body, mind and spirit. Pranayama can be used to clean the energy channels and the chakras of the body and also to enter more easily to a meditative state.

Finally through yogic breathing several diseases, for example asthma and bronchitis, colds, insomnia, headaches as well as stress, anxiety and depression can be cured.

Yoga and proper eating

Yoga promotes a lacto-vegetarian diet. A lacto-vegetarian diet includes all of the milk product, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, oats, beans, rice, potatoes and more. All the ingredients that the body needs are found in greater quantities and in better quality in the lacto-vegetarian diet than in the meet consuming diet.

A meet consuming diet has many toxins, an excess amount of uric acid that can be dangerous for the body, moreover less antiscorbutic acid that prevents many diseases is contained in meat.

Furthermore vegetarian food keeps the blood with an alkaline pH, while meat makes the pH of the blood acidic. Acidic pH of the blood can lead to many diseases. Additionally it is better to take the energy needed from the plant kingdom where plants take their energy straight from the sun, than from the animal kingdom where animals take their energy from plants or other animals, because this energy is “second or even third hand energy”.

Another advantage of lacto-vegetarian diet is that it is rich in vitamins and organic calcium, while in animal tissues one can not find a balanced combination of proteins, calcium and vitamins. For all the above mentioned reasons the yogic diet promotes a healthier condition of the body.

 Yoga and cleansing techniques

The proper yogic lifestule includes the performance of six hygienic duties. These are Dhauti or washing, Basti or colonic irrigation, Neti or nasal cleansing, Nauli or recti isolation, Trataka or cleansing vision and Kapalabhati or cleansing breath.

They are all cleansing acts that help the body get rid of impurities, phlegm and excess fat. They prepare the body for receiving all the benefits from pranayama and asanas. These six cleansing acts cleanse the digestive, respiratory, eliminatory and nervous systems and therefore help the body stay clean and healthy.

Meditation

Meditation is a variety of methods that aim to make the mind quiet, steady and open. Its final goal is to achieve knowledge and union with the Absolute, the universal spirit. In Raja yoga meditation is to withdraw the senses, concentrate to one point or idea, sustain this concentration and finally enter a superconcious state called Samadhi.

The benefits of meditating are many. Meditation is a kind of mental hygiene. It clears the mind, it brings serenity and equanimity. It calms and tones the nervous system; it lightens the spirit and clarifies consciousness. Meditation can also be used just to relax and bring harmony within. Through meditation one can be protected against the stress of today’s life. Meditation calms the mind by making space between the thoughts.

The benefits of meditation do not stop there, through mediation the blood pressure is lowered, the muscles are relaxed and the brain waves show a new slow pattern, different from the patterns observed during sleep or hypnosis or normal awaking state, meditation also helps one to open up to brilliant emotions like peace, joy, love and happiness and this can help one to have better relationship with anyone around him, therefore leading to a more peaceful and loving world.

All of the above mentioned factors help a person to achieve a generally healthier condition of the body and to retard old age.

However yoga can be used to treat many different diseases with different combinations of asanas, breathing techniques, cleansing techniques and eating plans. For every different disease a different combination of the above mentioned has to be used. One has to know exactly the different benefits of asanas, breathing and cleansing techniques to combine them properly to obtain the best results.

Certainly many protocols exist already, written by recognized yogis like Swami Sivananda Saraswati, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Dr Swami Karmananda and more. Possibly the best solution, when one wants to treat a specific disease, is to follow the existing protocols, because these yogis are wise and unmistakable.

What Is Noise Pollution?

Noise pollution is generally defined as regular exposure to elevated sound levels that may lead to adverse effects in humans or other living organisms. According to the World Health Organization, sound levels less than 70 dB are not damaging to living organisms, regardless of how long or consistent the exposure is. Exposure for more than 8 hours to constant noise beyond 85 dB may be hazardous. If you work for 8 hours daily in close proximity to a busy road or highway, you are very likely exposed to traffic noise pollution around 85dB.

This type of pollution is so omnipresent in today’s society that we often fail to even notice it anymore:

• street traffic sounds from cars, buses, pedestrians, ambulances etc.
• construction sounds like drilling or other heavy machinery in operation
• airports, with constant elevated sounds from air traffic, i.e. planes taking off or landing
• workplace sounds, often common in open-space offices
• constant loud music in or near commercial venues
• industrial sounds like fans, generators, compressor, mills
• train stations traffic
• household sounds, from the television set to music playing on the stereo or computer, vacuum cleaners, fans and coolers, washing machines, dishwashers, lawnmowers etc.
• events involving fireworks, firecrackers, loudspeakers etc.
• conflicts generate noise pollution through explosions, gunfire etc. The dysfunctions, in this case, are likely caused by the conflict and insecurity and less by the noise pollution in itself, although that compounds stress levels too.

Human Diseases Caused by Noise Pollution

Whether we realize we are subjected to it or not, noise pollution can be hazardous to our health in various ways.

• Hypertension is, in this case, a direct result of noise pollution caused elevated blood levels for a longer period of time.
• Hearing loss can be directly caused by noise pollution, whether listening to loud music in your headphones or being exposed to loud drilling noises at work, heavy air or land traffic, or separate incidents in which noise levels reach dangerous intervals, such as around140 dB for adult or 120 dB for children.
• Sleep disturbances are usually caused by constant air or land traffic at night, and they are a serious condition in that they can affect everyday performance and lead to serious diseases.
• Child development. Children appear to be more sensitive to noise pollution, and a number of noise-pollution-related diseases and dysfunctions are known to affect children, from hearing impairment to psychological and physical effects. Also, children who regularly use music players at high volumes are at risk of developing hearing dysfunctions. In 2001, it was estimated that 12.5% of American children between the ages of 6 to 19 years had impaired hearing in one or both ears
• Various cardiovascular dysfunctions Elevated blood pressure caused by noise pollution, especially during the night, can lead to various cardiovascular diseases.
• Dementia isn’t necessarily caused by noise pollution, but its onset can be favoured or compounded by noise pollution.
• Psychological dysfunctions and noise annoyance. Noise annoyance is, in fact, a recognized name for an emotional reaction that can have an immediate impact.

Effects of Noise Pollution on Wildlife and Marine Life

Our oceans are no longer quiet. Thousands of oil drills, sonars, seismic survey devices, coastal recreational watercraft and shipping vessels are now populating our waters, and that is a serious cause of noise pollution for marine life. Whales are among the most affected, as their hearing helps them orient themselves, feed and communicate. Noise pollution thus interferes with cetaceans’ (whales and dolphins) feeding habits, reproductive patterns and migration routes, and can even cause hemorrhage and death.

Other than marine life, land animals are also affected by noise pollution in the form of traffic, firecrackers etc., and birds are especially affected by the increased air traffic.

Social and Economic Costs of Noise Pollution

The World Health Organization estimates that one out of three people in Europe is harmed by traffic noise. More than the purely medical effects of noise pollution on the individual, there is a significant social and economic impact. Since noise pollution leads to sleep disturbance, it affects the individual’s work performance during the day, it leads to hypertension and cardiovascular disease and costs the health system additional time and money, and it negatively affects school performance in children.

Tips for Avoiding Noise Pollution

• Wear earplugs whenever exposed to elevated noise levels
• Maintain a level of around 35 dB in your bedroom at night, and around 40 dB in your house during the day
• If possible, choose your residential area as far removed from heavy traffic as you can
• Avoid prolonged use of earphones, especially at elevated sound levels
• If possible, avoid jobs with regular exposure to elevated sound levels