More and more people are turning to noise-canceling gadgets
If there is any benefit to the pandemic, it is that it has shown us how bad things we are used to living with, such as overcrowding, a polluted environment and excessive noise. Not surprisingly, many people have learned a lesson while spending time in forced isolation because of the coronavirus, and are now trying to model their daily lives.
According to experts, one of the big changes that is being observed is the impending silent revolution. It includes not only migration to smaller and quieter settlements, but also increased demand for noise suppression devices and the launch of projects to combat it. “By staying working, we realized the impact of different sounds under one roof, as well as in our environment. During the pandemic, the noise in the cities was halved and this did not go unnoticed, “Poppy Schiller, who runs a British NGO dealing with the problem, told the BBC. She is a third-generation activist in the fight against unnecessary noise and believes that for the first time, caring for health and the environment is among the top priorities of the people. Her grandfather, John Connel, founded the organization in 1959, which lobbied for a law recognizing the harms of excessive noise exposure. Thanks to its provisions, regulations are introduced that oblige the observance of certain norms.
However, it took decades for businesses and people to comply, and only in recent years has there been a real expansion in the development of noise reduction technologies, with competition between companies being fierce. Israel’s Silentium has developed a system that can significantly reduce unwanted sound, even from a snoring person in your bed. The way it works is quite complicated, but generally speaking, it is a microphone that absorbs unwanted noise, then a computer algorithm processes it and the speaker emits the same sound waves, but in reverse. This creates interference that suppresses much of both sounds. “We believe that our technology will be able to help many people, because unlike other existing noise canceling devices, it does not provide for the use of headphones. You can simply mount our speaker and sensors to the headboard of your bed and the sound of your partner’s snoring will be drastically reduced, “said the director of the Israeli company Joel Naor.
It is also able to provide peace of mind for the driver while his children are fighting in the back seat or playing electronic games with a very loud and annoyingly repetitive sound. The company is already working with some carmakers to create technologies for individual sound zones.
The British Brigade Electronics is making alarms for cars that signal reversing, but only within 10 meters. The sounds they make are only heard by pedestrians and other drivers in the immediate vicinity, not by the whole neighborhood.
The British Dyson has focused on a device that offers protection from both noise and dirty air. These are noise-canceling headphones with a filter visor, which is located right in front of the nose and mouth. “We decided to invest in such technology because of growing fears of the harmful effects of polluted air and excessive noise in urban areas. According to the World Health Organization, nine out of ten people inhale pollution above its recommended levels, and about 100 million people in Europe are exposed to long-term noise above the permissible levels, the company said. She hopes to launch her filter headphones in the fall, but has not yet announced what their price will be.
Englishwoman Sue Pearl and her husband David welcome any news of such gadgets with hope. A 65-year-old lawyer from London has tried almost everything to cure his problem with severe snoring – from nose drops to an electric bracelet, which caused him a slight electric shock. “When he sleeps, the whole house shakes. This is a nightmare.
It’s exhausting to live with snoring. I often wake up and do not sleep properly. It’s really not great for any relationship, but I have to send it to another room so I can escape the noise, “Sue told the BBC.
If for her this is still a compromise solution, for many other people who are hypersensitive to sounds, far more radical measures are needed. Psychotherapist Talia Ressel admits that her patients are increasing because we are bombarded by noise more than ever. It helps people suffering from misophonia – a condition in which certain sounds can provoke a negative emotional response. And they don’t have to be strong or irritating at all. They can be clicking with a pen, humming, even slapping. “Chewing is almost a universal irritant for them. They also don’t like the noise of clearing their throats, coughing, snoring, blowing their noses, there are a lot of things, ”explains psychotherapist Jaelin Jafi, who practices in Los Angeles. Symptoms are usually severe irritation, leading to crying, suffocation from rage and palpitations. So far, there is no universal cure for misophonia, but it has been found that noise-canceling headphones, meditation, various breathing techniques, soothing walks and more physical activity help.
“If you can’t avoid unwanted sound with such tricks, then you need an active plan to manage the situation. Ignoring the problem does not mean that the body is coping. Try to find a few minutes each day in complete silence. This will give you a chance to reset the tension, even if it is not a disease, but just calm down after being bombarded by noise all day, “advises Talia Russell. She warns that even sounds we do not hear or notice can have very different effects on others. So it is good to think about how to reduce the noise we cause with our own actions. Don’t yell when we argue, don’t run the washing machine and dishwasher at night, even if electricity is cheaper then. Don’t turn up the music too much when you’re having a party, and don’t honk your car if someone just slows down for a split second at a green light, because all of these things are part of the big city’s sound environment, which is stressful and stressful. increasingly unwanted to live.
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