Noise Harms Baby’s Brain Development

Peace and quiet is the best and most useful thing that adults can give to children. Scientists have found that constant exposure to noise stimuli has a negative impact on baby’s development.

Researchers from Yale empirically determined that noise stimulation of young mice reduces blood vessels formed in the brain. The same applies to babies. Even not very loud noises, including a constantly working TV or a washing machine may cause permanent damage if these sounds do not stop for a few hours.

According to the researchers, regular exposure to noise negatively affects children’s development up to two years as it creates potential problems later in life. According to neurologist Dr. Jaime Grutzendler, prolonged noises stop the formation of blood vessels in the child’s brain. And that makes the child more vulnerable to various diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, significantly increasing the rate of aging.

Dr. Grutzendler thinks the saddest thing is that many of today’s children are continually exposed to noise, similar to those used in experiments on mice. He encourages parents and other people involved in the upbringing of children to take these data with utmost seriousness. Children need peace and quiet, at least in the first two years of their life. There is no need to lull the baby to sleep with a working TV or music. Mice were exposed to quiet noises – no more than 40-60 decibels, which is equivalent to normal human conversation. However, the problem was not in the volume but in the regularity of the noise.