Researchers from Karolinska University in Sweden have been conducting a multi-year study into the effects of noise on health.
Their findings support a major review of research published in the Lancet last October, which showed that exposure to noise can not only disturb sleep, concentration and academic performance, but can also increase the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
The Karolinska research, which followed over 5,000 people for a ten year period in Stockholm, found an increased risk of hypertension among subjects heavily exposed to road traffic noise at home. The risk was dramatically increased for those heavily exposed to air craft noise.
Their data also suggested a strong connection between exposure to road traffic noise and heart attack (myocardial infarction), as well as a correlation between noise and obesity.