Issue #223: It's Too Loud
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, August 8th.
Today’s Quick Win
From the Lab: It’s Too Loud
Speed Read: The Immortal Jellyfish
Tuesday QR: Zucchini with Shallots
“To experience peace does not mean that your life is always blissful. It means that you are capable of tapping into a blissful state of mind amidst the normal chaos of a hectic life.”
The number of Americans (about 1/3 of the total population) that are consistently exposed to noise pollution (70+ dBA). This is from 2014 and the numbers are most likely even worse now. (National Institute of Health)
From the Lab
I just sat down to start writing this issue and like most days without fail I hear the obnoxious buzz of a gas-powered leaf blower.
Pressure washers, lawn mowers, edge trimmers - there’s an entire landscape economy that’s making suburbs almost as loud as urban cities.
Based on a range of estimates from Michael Easter, humans have made the world 4x louder. Why is this such a big deal?
Noise & Our Health
Sound enters our ears at a volume measured in decibels (dB).
A quiet room is about 27dB - but if you use an alarm to wake up that might be up to 80 dB. If you’re cutting the grass that mower is 90 dB, and if you were rocking out to Taylor Swift this summer that was 110 dB.
The cutoff on what is “healthy” is a debate - anything above 70 can be a problem and if it’s constant, anything above 45 isn’t ideal.
Remember, decibels are logarithmic scale (like measuring earthquakes) so that traffic at 70 dB is 10x louder than a normal conversation (that blender is 100x louder!).
Our ears are very sensitive and all this noise can do permanent damage.
Hearing loss is more common than cancer. It’s not just annoying - it leads to imbalance and more potential falls as well as potential cognitive decline.
But it’s not just our ears - the sounds eventually makes its way to our brain.
Loud sounds specifically go to our amygdala - which triggers our fight or flight.
This makes sense - from an evolutionary perspective, loud sounds historically meant danger, and often life or death.
So our amygdala then releases adrenaline and cortisol (Issue #19).
The elevated levels of these hormones have the same effect as stress - it increases inflammation throughout our entire body. It can be deadly - increasing our blood pressure and risk for the #1 killer - heart disease.
It even impairs our learning. Schools near one of our 46 major airports have lower test scores - but scores improved when the school building was sound-proofed to minimize the effect of the constant plane noise.
There’s even a study that shows for every increase of 10 dB from planes, there is a 29% relative increase in anti-anxiety medication prescriptions.
It’s also the case with all the rage of moving to an “open office layout.” Those offices are 50% louder and studies show they create more stress.
We live in a noisy world - but do your best to limit the exposure to human-made noise as much as possible. There’s a reason they call it “peace and quiet.”
Thrive25 Partner Spotlight
I know it’s hot out there - but we still need to get outside!
NatureDose is a free app to help you set a weekly nature goal and track your progress. It’s actually the anti-app. It uses GPS and machine learning to track your time outside and give you that extra boost to actually enjoy nature.
This is real science - being in nature is on par with diet, exercise, or adequate sleep for optimizing our health & longevity. Check out NatureDose.
Speed Read
Health & Longevity in the News
Jellyfish Age Backwards: There’s a specific species of jellyfish that can continually go back to a polyp (juvenile stage) that makes it pretty much immortal. What’s the secret? (Living on Earth)
“Mind Blowing” Temps: My run yesterday was insane - just felt weird (apparently even before 8am a crazy combo of 90+ degree temp, 100+ heat index, 80+ dewpoint). It’s happening a lot this summer - check out Issue #133 stay cool out there! (Yale)
Just “Think” You Got Good Sleep: A new study suggests that if you believe it was good sleep that’s almost as effective as actually having good sleep (the mind is powerful). I guess don’t let your Oura ring tell you otherwise! (NYPost)
Tuesday QR | Zucchini with Shallots
This quick and easy dish is light and delicious - it elevates the zucchini (great for H&L) and is a great side for any grilled protein - beef, chicken and seafood. You can eat as a snack or pair with some of our favorites - Weeknight Lemon Chicken Breasts (#191), New Aged Stuffed Peppers (#48) or Walnut & Rosemary Crusted Salmon (#104).
Thanks for joining us today!
Check out the latest workout videos on our YouTube channel
Got feedback, recommendations or stories to share? Tell us what’s on your mind here
Want this direct to your inbox? Sign up here
Why Thrive25
We’re 40-something dads that felt our bodies and minds start to slow down and we’re not ready for that. We found too much information on every subject. So we started Thrive25 to transform what we’ve learned into something useful for the rest of us to spend just 3-5 min a day to optimize our health & longevity.
This newsletter is for you and we truly value your feedback. Never hesitate to reach out to us at team@thrive25.com.
To health!
Sign up for free:
The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25 Labs LLC does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.