Sound of traffic could literally make your blood pressure rise

Due to the state of traffic in the country, a common refrain among Filipino commuters and drivers is that the traffic is enough to drive up one's blood pressure. As it turns out, there may be actual scientific proof that it does.

A study published in the journal JACC: Advances has established a connection between road traffic noise and an increased risk of hypertension. The study was co-authored by Jing Huang, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences in the School of Public Health at Peking University in Beijing, China.

The study took data from the UK Biobank. It involved more than 240,000 people who did not have hypertension, who researchers returned to after a median 8.1 years. What they discovered was that people who lived near road traffic noise were not only likely to develop hypertension, the risk was also increased depending on the “dose” of road traffic noise they were exposed to.

Researchers also found out that hypertension risks rose even more when people were also exposed to air pollution in addition to traffic noise.

Researchers hope that the results of the study will impact public health measures, as setting and enforcing stricter noise guidelines and improving road conditions and urban design could significantly reduce exposure to road traffic noise.

This study comes a couple of months after researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria discovered that exposure to traffic pollution can actually negatively affect brain function.

While the study was the first to look at the effects of air pollution on the brain, numerous studies have been published in the past few months looking into the different factors that affect brain function.

At the 2022 Alzheimer's Association International Conference in August, a study revealed that even a mild exercise routine can help combat mild memory problems that could be a precursor to Alzheimer's disease.

A study published in the journal Natural Scientific Reports found that playing a piano can positively affect the brain's processing power as well as boost their overall mood.

MEANWHILE, TAKE SOME INSPIRATION FROM THE FIT CELEBRITIES IN THE GALLERY BELOW TO ENGAGE IN SOME EXERCISE.