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Constant Traffic Noise Contributes To Higher Depression Risk; Redesigning Urban Planning Suggested By Researchers

Recent studies show that people who are living with constant road noise will likely have a higher risk of suffering from depression than those who are not living in these areas.

WebMD reported that the risk of having depression is around 25% higher to people who are living near the traffic roads who constantly hear the road noise. However, the study conducted by the German study authors was limited to the unemployed, with limited education, smokers, or those who are currently suffering from insomnia -- since, according to their report, these are the groups of people who likely stay in the house for longer periods of time.

Based on their study, these groups of people will likely suffer more with depression if they continue residing in the said area than those people who are hearing little road noise.

Lead researcher Ester Orban of the Center for Urban Epidemology at University Hospital Essen said, "Although we can't say for sure, it has been thought that noise causes stress and annoyance."

She added, "If this noise persists over a long period of time and is constant and loud, it may contribute to depression."

Depression is only associated by the road noise but Orban explained that this is not the primary cause but it plays a role to cause it.

She suggested some simple things people can do to avoid this road noise annoyance -- short of moving. "If you feel annoyed by traffic noise you can use earplugs, and if traffic noise is disturbing your sleep, choose a bedroom away from the busy road."

Simon Rego, director of psychology training at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einsterin College of Medicine in New York City, said that the study conducted by Orban added to the existing evidence regarding the direct connection of the traffic noise to an increase risk to depressive symptoms, reported by Newsmax.

He said, "This is not surprising, as we already have extensive evidence that the noise is associated with both stress and heart disease."

He added that depression is caused by the environment and how the person interacts with psychological, social and biological factors at the same time.

"This suggests that, along with targeting biological factors with medications and psychological factors with treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy, interventions may also be aimed at targeting environmental factors," Rego said.

"On a larger scale, communities can work on improving urban planning to address traffic noise in order to help treat depression or perhaps even prevent it."

Orban's team gathered data from 3,000 people, aged 45 to 75. These groups participated in the Heinz Nixdorf Recall study. The next sampled group that followed were an average of five years.  


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