ABU DHABI // Sleep deprivation, stress and anxiety are some of the many effects noise pollution can have on an individual, experts say.
Kate Bridle, sleep service manager and lead technologist at The London Sleep Centre, Dubai Healthcare City, said about a fifth of their patients suffer sleep disruption owing to noise pollution.
“Sleep initiation and maintenance insomnia are the most common,” she said. “Sleep initiation insomnia means that someone is unable to fall asleep in the first place, and with sleep maintenance insomnia, falling asleep is not a problem but they experience multiple awakenings throughout the night and are unable to stay asleep.
“Unfortunately, the downside of living in a vibrant, 24-hour city such as Dubai is that noise is an issue for many living in built-up areas, such as Dubai Marina or Downtown.”
Ms Bridle said that, in the short term, a lack of adequate sleep can affect judgment, mood, ability to learn and retain information, and can increase the risk of serious accidents and injury.
Chronic sleep deprivation may lead to a host of health problems including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and even early mortality, she said.
Dr Deema Sihweil, clinical director at the psychology centre at the Carbone Clinic, said sound sleep was critical to maintaining a balanced state of mind.
“It is also paramount to helping one heal or reduce stress levels,” she said. “Experiencing stress alone can keep one awake and, as if that is not painful enough, coping with extraneous noises throughout the night can compound that stress and make conditions even worse.”
Noise pollution is part of any city life, and Dubai is no exception, Dr Sihweil said.
“It’s a very common complaint, or at least when evaluated, noise pollution turns out to be a significant contributor to stress levels of city dwellers.”
In the short term, noise pollution can be extremely annoying for a sensitive or light sleeper. In the long run, continuous noise can have detrimental effects on individuals, couples and families with children, said Dr Sihweil, with increased anxiety, aggression, low concentration, poor workplace or school performance, social tension and physical health issues all common side-effects of poor-quality sleep.
“Dubai Municipality works around the clock to address complaints from residents and can be a great way to address noise pollution in neighbourhoods,” she said. “While often there is little that can be done to regulate construction site working hours, which seems to be mostly at night, especially in extreme climates, it is still worth gathering neighbours to file a formal complaint to either the building management or to the municipality to try to address accordingly.”
Other measures that may work include insulating windows with soundproof glass and keeping air-conditioning on to act as a white noise barrier to extraneous sounds, Dr Sihweil suggested.
“Extreme measures would be to consider moving to a quieter neighbourhood that does not experience high-intensity and frequent noise pollution from traffic or construction,” said Dr Sihweil.
Dr Atta Alkaznaji, a specialist in neurology at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi, has seen patients complaining of health problems caused by noise.
“First of all there is sleep deprivation,” he said. “Then stress and anxiety. Then there is a loss of interest and performance at work and in social settings and family situations. These symptoms can be chronic.”
newsdesk@thenational.ae
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Publisher: Activision
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Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
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- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
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Shower or bath after being outside.
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Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
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Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
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Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
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The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
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Rating: 4/5
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Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
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Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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