Loud Music and Your Body

IN A paper entitled “The Mind and Sound,” Martin Polon of the University of California at Los Angeles warns that persons exposed to continuous sound pressure levels (SPLs) such as those at “new wave” and “punk rock” concerts (around 130 decibels) are risking more than possible damage to their hearing. Polon claims that blood levels of hormones associated with stress may double or triple after lengthy exposure to loud sounds. Damaging effects on the endocrine, reproductive, circulatory and nervous systems are also said to be possible. Physiological stress produced by extremely high SPLs can raise blood pressure and heighten levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, thus contributing to degeneration of arteries and the heart muscle.

Polon lists other undesirable effects of lengthy overexposure to excessively loud sound, including interference with sexual and reproductive functions, epilepsy in sensitive persons, initiation of psychotic episodes, dizziness, vertigo and uncontrollable movements of the eyes. Expectant mothers should note that risk to a developing fetus is also given as a bad effect. Though more investigation will likely be needed to determine whether Polon’s claims are valid or not, the wise course in the meantime clearly would be not to expose yourself to avoidable, continuously high SPLs.