Do you know the side effects of noise?
Working with chronic exposure to as little as 68-70 decibels can have an effect on staff members, according to Michael Buelow, RN, CEN, an ED nurse at InteliStaf, a staff relief agency in Phoenix. Consider the following:
— Physiological effect:
- hearing loss.
— Psychological effects:
- decrease in problem-solving ability;
- decrease in frustration tolerance;
- decline in mathematical abilities;
- decrease in altruistic behavior and sensitivity to others;
- hindered work efficiency;
- diminished worker effectiveness;
- reduced accuracy of work;
- irritability, anxiety, and sleep loss.
— Secondary physiological effects:
- release of adrenocorticosteroids, epinephrine, and norepinephrine;
- peripheral blood vessel constriction;
- changes in heart rate;
- increased cerebral blood flow;
- galvanic skin response;
- increase in skeletal muscle tension;
- increase in blood cortisol and cholesterol;
- ulcers;
- increased susceptibility to disease and infection;
- complicating factor in heart disease;
- implicated in headaches and fatigue.
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