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The Ministry of Education recently issued a "Notice on Further Strengthening Sleep Management for Primary and Secondary School Students," which clearly outlines three important timeframes: Necessary Sleep Time: Primary school students should get at least 10 hours of sleep per day, junior high school students should get at least 9 hours, and senior high school students should get at least 8 hours. School Schedule: Primary school classes should generally start no earlier than 8:20 AM, and junior high school classes should generally start no earlier than 8:00 AM. Necessary lunch breaks should be guaranteed where possible. Bedtime: Primary school students should generally go to bed no later than 9:20 PM, junior high school students no later than 10:00 PM, and senior high school students no later than 11:00 PM.
I believe that besides primary and secondary school students needing this crucial sleep time, adults today should also have such a guarantee. Nearly 300 million people worldwide suffer from sleep disorders; insomnia leads to lethargy and declining health. And one of the major causes of insomnia is noise.
Noise can be defined as any sound that can affect a person's rest, sleep, or study.
So, is the noise a result of your overly sensitive nerves, or a sign of the noise-generating person's twisted humanity? I think there must be some connection between the two.
01. The relationship between noise and decibels
Let's first discuss the relationship between noise and decibels.
What is a decibel?
For sound, "decibels" are defined as follows: We define a certain sound pressure level as a standard value (0 decibels), which is a fixed value; any sound is divided by this standard value, the logarithm of the result (base 10) is multiplied by 20, and the result is the decibel of the sound.
"0 decibels" does not mean "no sound"; it simply means the lowest sound generally considered audible to humans. It's entirely possible for sounds to be weaker than 0 decibels (like a mosquito 4 meters away), which would be negative decibels. So, how many decibels of sounds can we actually hear in daily life? The following data shows:
ordinary people's hearing
The table above shows that sounds exceeding 40 decibels can disturb normal rest. Does that mean sounds below 40 decibels are not considered noise?
What is noise?
Environmental definition of noise: Any sound that interferes with people's normal rest, study and work, or that interferes with the sounds people want to hear, is considered noise.
The physical definition of noise: Noise is the sound produced when a sound-producing body vibrates irregularly.
So, there are a thousand kinds of noise for a thousand people. Which kind of noise do most people find most unbearable? Is it the noise itself or the noise maker that we hate?
02. Among noise types, neighborhood noise is more prominent.
Let's look at some types of noise that are commonly disliked in daily life:
Judging from various news reports, Q&A platforms, and online discussions and comments, most of the annoying noises are neighborhood noises, and the problems are mostly concentrated upstairs. For example, the sound of dragging tables and chairs upstairs, footsteps, chopping vegetables... These sounds generally have the following characteristics: long duration, unnecessary, and during rest time.
03. Are you "noise sensitive"?
What is "noise sensitivity"?
It is important to distinguish between noise sensitivity and misophonia. Misophonia is a reaction to any sound in the environment; noise sensitivity is a reaction to only certain specific noises, such as running, arguing, or stomping from upstairs.
The main manifestations of sensitivity include: aversion, irritability, low mood, fear of specific sounds, abnormal amplification of certain sensitive sounds, often accompanied by tension and anxiety. Physical fatigue and sleep disorders are symptoms of neurasthenia induced by sensitivity.
Let's take a simple example to understand "noise sensitivity".
Washing machines vibrate and make noise when they're running. In buildings with poor sound insulation, downstairs neighbors can hear it, but even if they do, few people go up to bother their neighbors. However, if the noise is replaced by repeated stomping, it becomes unbearable after less than five minutes. Logically, the noise of a washing machine and stomping are about the same, but most people find the stomping more unbearable. This is because we have a preconceived notion in our minds that the washing machine noise is intentional and will eventually stop, so we can tolerate it. But the stomping is unnecessary, deliberate, and doesn't seem to stop at any time, thus creating feelings of frustration and annoyance.
Summarize:
What exactly is causing your noise sensitivity?
1. Is it the manufacturer?
Most noise-makers, when faced with communication issues from neighbors about noise pollution, remain indifferent and unconcerned, showing no inclination to reduce the noise. This reflects a lack of empathy. One of the biggest failures a person can make is refusing to correct their mistakes. A person's sensitivity to noise is absolutely causally related to the noise-maker's character . Humans are inherently inclined to seek advantage and avoid harm; they are naturally averse to unreasonable and morally flawed individuals (even if they themselves are). Therefore, your aversion is reasonable, but controlling the degree of that aversion is entirely controllable.
2. Is it yourself?
Noise is subjectively perceived. When disturbed by noise, the brain consciously increases the ear's sensitivity to such sounds. Even if the sound is faint, the brain will strain to hear, speculate, question, and even deny the noise's nature. Over time, this can lead to noise sensitivity, causing the brain to try to find the source and analyze its causes. The feelings of resentment, annoyance, and anxiety caused by noise tend to worsen after attempts to communicate with the upstairs neighbor fail to resolve the issue.
The brain's thinking ability is analytical, reasoning, and inductive reasoning. When you focus all your brainpower on anxiety about noise, noise sensitivity will become increasingly severe. Therefore, there is a progressive relationship between noise sensitivity and one's focus of thought.
How to solve noise sensitivity:
Since noise sensitivity is caused by distracting your brain's processing mechanisms, try focusing on other things.
1. Please yourself. Focus more attention on yourself and do things that make you happy, such as listening to a song or watching a TV series. You will actively focus your attention on anything that makes you happy.
2. Enrich yourself. Keep yourself busy with housework, work, study, and help your children with their homework. When your time is filled, you won't have any other attention to pay attention to noise.
3. Exercise more. A reasonable daily routine is beneficial to physical and mental health, and can also strengthen inner strength and resist irritability and depression.