White noise machines are widely available and used in both professional and residential settings. They may cancel out ambient noise and provide a blanket of low-decibel sound that can increase focus or relaxation. The machines may spur individuals to increase their personal listening devices to higher and potentially dangerous volume levels, warns the Hearing Review. White noise machines have other negative effects, as well.
Effects on Hearing
A study suggests effects on hearing. In the April 2003 article, "Environmental Noise Retards Auditory Cortical Development," researchers Edward F. Chang and Michael M. Merzenich found that baby rats subjected to prolonged white noise did not have fully developed auditory cortex, the part of the brain which is responsible for hearing. Once researchers removed the white noise, the rats pups resumed normal brain development.
Tinnitus Symptoms
White noise may use mask tinnitus symptoms, notes the National Institutes of Health. Occasional short-lived tinnitus may be common, due to environmental exposure to loud sounds, states the NIH. Prolonged tinnitus, however, may signal medical problems such as high blood pressure, allergies, anemia, or in rare cases, a tumor or aneurysm.
Reduced Spatial Sensitivity
Prolonged white noise at an early age may impede the ability to discern the direction and location of sound, notes the magazine Cerebral Cortex. In the July 2009 article, "Early Continuous White Noise Exposure Alters Auditory Spatial Sensitivity," Shanghai-based researchers Jinghong Xu et al. exposed young rats to continuous white noise. They found that the rats poorly modulated changes in the location of the sound stimulus.
References
- HearingReview.com: The Effect of White Noise on Preferred Listening Levels with a Noise-Cancellation Headset
- International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology: Moderation of Morbidity Following Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy
- Howard Hughes Medical Center: White Noise Delays Auditory Organization in the Brain
- Cerebral Cortex: Early Continuous White Noise Exposure Alters Auditory Spatial Sensitivity
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