Noise is a near-unavoidable aspect of modern life. There’s the morning traffic on your commute, the hum of a busy office, the late-night party in your building, wherever you are there’s some sort of sound. Most of the time, it’s easy to tune out but your body doesn’t quite switch off in the same way.
Public-health experts and environmental scientists have linked persistent noise exposure to an increase in stress hormones which can, in turn, affect your heart and disrupt your sleep.1,2,3,4,8 You might not even realise that the low-buzz of noise is affecting you in this way. It’s not realistic to decide to avoid noise altogether but you can take practical steps to reduce the impact.
How Noise Impacts Your Body (Beyond Hearing)
When we talk about noise affecting your health, you might immediately think about hearing damage. Prolonged exposure to loud or persistent noise can lead to ringing in the ears, tinnitus and muffled hearing over time.5
What’s less widely recognised is that noise doesn’t stop at your ears. Unwanted or persistent sound triggers a release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.2,4,8 They are the hormones associated with your body’s fight or flight response which serve a function in allowing the body to react to danger quickly. While incredibly useful in short bursts, constant exposure to cortisol and adrenaline has been linked to some health issues.2,6
Over time, chronic exposure to persistent or loud noise can contribute to:
· Sleep disruption – your body continues to respond to sound even while you’re asleep, which can interfere with deep, restorative rest even if the noise doesn’t fully wake you. This means your body is missing out on its essential recovery time.4,7,8
· Cardiovascular strain – long-term exposure to environmental noise has been associated with higher blood pressure and an increased risk of heart-related conditions. This is thought to be linked to overexposure to stress hormones which place strain on the heart and cardiovascular system.1,2,3,6,8
· Stress and mental fatigue – when noise is frequent and outside your control, it can quietly add to your mental load, making it harder to focus, switch off, or feel properly rested, even if you’re not actively aware of the sound. Over time, this sustained mental strain can really weigh you down mentally which may affect the body over time.1,2,6,7
Environmental noise acts as a background stressor on your physical body and mind but, fortunately, it’s one you can take steps to manage.
What kind of noise is contributing?
Knowing is half the battle so first, we need to establish what noise can affect your health. When we think of harmful noise, we imagine construction sites or loud concerts. But you might not expect to find that persistent, moderate noise such as traffic, public transport and urban hum can be just as stressful.1,4,5,8 Volume isn’t the only factor; duration and lack of control also have an impact on your wellbeing.6,8 Uncontrolled or unexpected noise keeps your nervous system on alert, and that’s where your stress hormones can start to wreak havoc.2,6,8
Traffic noise is one of the most widespread sources of everyday noise exposure. Whether it’s your commute, popping out for errands, or the school run, that low, constant hum follows you throughout the day, quietly adding to your overall noise load.
Taking Control: What Can You Do to Protect Your Health?
While it’s worth being mindful of how noise affects your wellbeing, there’s no need to panic. The good news is that there are plenty of practical, everyday ways you can reduce stress and protect your wellbeing:
1. Volume Awareness – Listening at moderate levels helps protect your hearing and can reduce physical and mental strain. You don’t need to overpower your surroundings to enjoy what you’re listening to. Rather than turning things up to compete with background noise, keeping volume around 60% of your device’s maximum can be a helpful guide for longer listening sessions.
2. Mindful Sound Habits - What you listen to can influence how noisy environments feel. Swapping chaotic background noise for chaotic music or podcasts might not have the calming effect you’re hoping for. Choosing gentle or upbeat genres / ambient sounds that you genuinely enjoy can help calm your nervous system and make busy spaces feel more manageable. Even short breaks in quieter, more mellow spaces give your body a chance to reset.
Calming sounds are highly personal; gentle classical pieces, smooth jazz, or video game soundtracks can all provide a soothing backdrop, helping you feel more in control of your sound environment. It’s up to you! Finding what sounds put you at ease can make the urban hum much less stressful.
3. Reducing background noise where possible - Lowering the level of persistent background noise can make everyday situations feel less demanding. Constant sounds from your surroundings, whether urban or not, can leave you feeling drained over time. Where you can, softening that background noise helps reduce the effort your body and mind put into filtering it out. Tools like Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) or Passive Noise Reduction (PNR) can take the edge off, making it easier to listen comfortably, stay focused and feel more at ease in busy environments.
4. Staying aware without overload – Total silence isn’t exactly the goal in day-to-day life. When you’re walking through the city or commuting you need to stay aware for peace of mind and safety. Many headphones with ANC offer a “Transparent mode” which allow you to toggle be between hearing your environment and blocking it out; this feature is excellent for making noisy situations far more manageable by keeping you in control. Balancing awareness with reduced background noise helps prevent sensory overload, allowing you to stay present and alert without the overwhelm.
5. Creating Space for Rest and Recovery – For moments when rest and focus matter most like sleep, travel or deep concentration; reducing disruptive noise can help your body recover naturally. Gentle noise reduction, rather than complete silence, supports relaxation while keeping you comfortable and at ease.
How Mixx Makes It Easy
At Mixx, we’ve carefully designed our products with day-to-day life in mind; including when it comes to your auditory health. Our products are built to help you listen more comfortably, at safer volumes and with less stress. Good audio equipment means you can control your sound in a way that allows you to enjoy your music and stay mindful of your wellbeing at the same time.
· ANC Headphones - Active Noise Cancellation reduces unwanted background noise so you can enjoy your music or podcasts at safe volumes. No matter the background noise, ANC lets you focus without constantly raising the volume. Our StreamQ™ C4, StreamQ™ D3, and Ultra ANC models provide reliable, long-lasting noise reduction tailored to your environment. All Mixx ANC products also offer Transparent Mode so you can stay aware of your surroundings while preventing sensory overload, whether you’re walking in the city, working, or studying.
· Passive Noise Reduction - Sometimes, simpler really is better. With our assistive audio earplugs, choose between Sleep, Flight, Adaptive, Music, and Safety to suit your needs. They help reduce disruptive noise without cutting you off from the world entirely. They’re ideal for rest, focus or softening the noise in loud environments.
· Comfort and Wearability - Great sound shouldn’t come at the expense of comfort. Mixx headphones are designed to be worn for hours at a time without fatigue or discomfort so you can focus on the important stuff.
With the right tools, you can tailor your listening experience to your liking, leaving overstimulation in the past.
Living well in a Noisy World
Noise is everywhere and while some of it may be easy to ignore, it quietly affects stress, sleep and overall wellbeing. You don’t need to completely change your lifestyle; the key is understanding the impact of everyday noise and taking simple steps to manage it.
Whether that means creating moments of quiet, choosing sounds that help you relax, or using tools like noise-reducing headphones and earplugs, every small change helps your body reset and recover. By being mindful of your listening habits and taking control of your environmental noise, you can enjoy your music and your day while staying mindful of your health.
With Mixx you’ll have the tools you need to tune out the stressful noise of day-to-day life no matter how noisy the world gets! Check out the Mixx product range today!
Written by Asha Kalsi
References
1. Chen X, Liu M, Zuo L, Wu X, Chen M, Li X, et al. Environmental noise exposure and health outcomes: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analysis. European Journal of Public Health. 2023 Apr 8;33(4). Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckad044
2. Daiber A, Kröller-Schön S, Frenis K, Oelze M, Kalinovic S, Vujacic-Mirski K, et al. Environmental noise induces the release of stress hormones and inflammatory signaling molecules leading to oxidative stress and vascular dysfunction-Signatures of the internal exposome. BioFactors (Oxford, England) [Internet]. 2019 Jul 1;45(4):495–506. Avaliable from: https://doi.org/10.1002/biof.1506
3. Münzel T, Peris E, Sørensen M. From noise to heart disease: European Environment Agency sounds the alarm for Europe 2025. Eur Heart J [Internet]. 2026;(ehaf1072). Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf1072
4. Basner M, McGuire S. WHO environmental noise guidelines for the European region: A systematic review on environmental noise and effects on sleep. Int J Environ Res Public Health [Internet]. 2018;15(3):519. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15030519
5. Wang T-C, Chang T-Y, Tyler R, Lin Y-J, Liang W-M, Shau Y-W, et al. Noise induced hearing loss and tinnitus-new research developments and remaining gaps in disease assessment, treatment, and prevention. Brain Sci [Internet]. 2020;10(10):732. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10100732
6. Krittanawong C, Qadeer YK, Hayes RB, Wang Z, Virani S, Zeller M, et al. Noise exposure and cardiovascular health. Curr Probl Cardiol [Internet]. 2023;48(12):101938. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2023.101938
7. Hahad O, Gilan D, Michal M, Tüscher O, Chalabi J, Schuster AK, et al. Noise annoyance and cardiovascular disease risk: results from a 10-year follow-up study. Sci Rep [Internet]. 2024;14(1):5619. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-56250-8
8. Hume KI, Brink M, Basner M. Effects of environmental noise on sleep. Noise Health [Internet]. 2012;14(61):297–302. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/1463-1741.104897
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