London's Noise Is Taking a Toll – Here's What It's Doing to My Health

Living in the Midst of Noise

Every morning, I wake up to the sound of a chainsaw. A sharp, metallic screech that pulls me from my sleep. I feel agitated, restless, and confused. What is this threatening noise? Then I remember—I live in front of a construction site where an eight-story building is being built. At 7:30 am each day, except on Sundays, I watch as workers climb into their cranes and the noise begins again. The sound has been constant for over a year, but it becomes most intrusive when the weather is hot. I can't open my window without hearing the clang of construction.

I have lived in my noisy flat for three years, but I've been in the bustling city of London for 11. As I start my day, I walk onto a busy main road near a dual carriageway. The hum of traffic is overwhelming, and I feel the need to find a calmer place as soon as possible—maybe a park or a quiet café. Instead, I take the roaring Tube, dodging shouting preachers with microphones and trying to ignore the horns beeping in the traffic during my final sprint to work.

Like millions of others, I have become used to unpredictable sounds: the blaring of music late at night from outside my window or the screaming of the Tube as it rattles past. But lately, I've wondered what impact this constant noise is having on me. Like the city's fumes, surely this can't be good for us? I’ve noticed that since the building works started near my flat, I’ve felt less calm at home. I’ve found it harder to concentrate and have become easily irritated.

The Health Impact of Noise Pollution

A new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) has found that over 110 million people across Europe suffer from high levels of health-damaging noise pollution. This is one of many reports showing that loud noises are bad for our health. It found that physiological stress and sleep disturbance caused by noise pollution lead to 66,000 early deaths a year, as well as 66,000 cases of heart disease, diabetes, and depression. And as the world gets busier and the population continues to grow, these noises are only getting louder.

Charlotte Clark, a professor of environmental epidemiology at City St George’s University, has studied the effects of noise on health for decades. She grew up in a very loud home surrounded by traffic, which sparked her fascination with noise and its impact.

“The evidence has actually gotten really strong in the last few years,” says Clark. “It’s very much accepted now that noise is a public health issue. Ten years ago, we wouldn’t have been able to say it so confidently. It’s not only the World Health Organisation (WHO) that agrees, but most governments would now accept that noise can affect health. There used to be a lot of cynicism. People couldn’t work out how sound waves could affect your biology, beyond your hearing.”

The WHO defines noise pollution as an “unwanted or harmful outdoor sound created by human activities, including noise emitted by means of transport, industrial and recreational activities.” The most common source? Traffic from cars and airplanes.

Even if traffic is simply humming softly in the background, it can trigger a reaction in the body, says Clark. “When you listen to a loud sound, your brain interprets it as a stressor, and you start to have stress responses. We are programmed in terms of fight or flight, so your body starts to do all the things that would enable you to run away from a predator.” This can look like a faster heartbeat or the release of stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. “Over time, that’s not good for you,” she says. “If you live somewhere noisy, that’s a chronic stress response.”

Long-Term Consequences of Constant Noise

Wind turbines are a low-level form of noise pollution, but can still be harmful. “They are much quieter than road traffic, but people still have those stress responses, particularly in terms of annoyance and effects on sleep. If you’re having those biological responses to noise, your blood glucose can change. Over time, you’re going to have problems with your blood sugar, with your blood fats, and cholesterol. Those are all risk factors related to developing diabetes and heart disease.”

And almost everyone reacts to noise, even if it’s unconscious. Clark explains that even people who have a more muted bodily response are still impacted physiologically over time. “There’s also a little bit of evidence that if an environment is noisy, you’re less likely to exercise in it,” she says. “So that’s yet another pathway by which you might get these effects.”

This confirms my fears. I’m particularly concerned when Clark explains that the body is even impacted while we are sleeping. “People don’t realize that,” she says. “If you’ve got noise at night, say from road traffic or aircraft, your body will still have those biological responses. Your heart rate will continue to increase if there is loud traffic, because you’re programmed to do that. The cardiovascular system can be affected.”

The impact on our mental health is still underresearched, but there’s some evidence that people living in noisy environments are more likely to take medication for anxiety and sleep. A recent study from Switzerland found that road traffic was associated with higher suicide rates and also increasing rates of hyperactivity in children. US research has linked noise pollution to rates of dementia, although this link is still not fully understood.

Solutions to Reduce Noise Pollution

What can be done to reduce the health impact of noise pollution? Charities such as the Campaign to Protect Rural England have called for action to make city parks quieter—such as closing roads at weekends, rerouting roads, using natural features as noise barriers, and most of all, policies to reduce car numbers.

Clark says other solutions include providing better sound insulation for homes or modifying road surfaces and tyre designs to reduce noise. She is hopeful that electric cars will soon mean our roads are quieter, but there is not much she can do about my local building works. Perhaps it’s time for some earplugs.