A recent study revealed that the noise of cities can cause heart problems, scientists found on Wednesday, when scientists found inconsistent loud sounds on busy streets lead to irregular heartbeat.
Researchers at the University of Nottingham Trent have found that continuous noise change - even at low levels - has an immediate and disruptive effect on the normal heart rate patterns of study participants.
The team says their results add to a growing body of research that shows that our daily environment can have long-term adverse health effects.
The study, published in the Information Fusion magazine, asked shoppers to wear mobile body sensors to monitor their heart rate as they moved through downtown Nottingham for 45 minutes.
The researchers say Iman Kanjo of the Department of Science and Technology at the University of Nottingham Trent that they discovered that rapid changes in noise caused a rapid disturbance of the normal heart rate of participants.
"If this pattern is repeated regularly, there is a risk that this will lead to cardiovascular problems."
Although repeated exposure to external pressures such as noise, pollution and congested areas can lead to long-term physical illness, this study is the first to use sensors to try to develop a short-term impact model that city environments can cause on the human body.
Source: Daily Telegraph