SILENCE IS
GOLDEN. AND HEALTHY.
In my previous article, I wrote about how purposeful silence is
good for the spirit and the soul. Lately, I've learned that quiet is also good
for the body and the brain. Doctors, nurses, and scientists are recognizing
that many health benefits result from turning down the noise and immersing
ourselves in silence.
Back in the mid-1800s, Florence Nightingale attacked hospital
noise as a "cruel absence of care." She insisted on the converse:
Quiet is a part of care, she argued, as essential for patients as medication or
sanitation. As most of us who have spent a few nights in a hospital can attest,
unnecessary noise can cause distress, sleep loss, and alarm for patients.
Modern studies bear her out. They have shown that noise pollution
leads to high blood pressure and heart attacks, as well as impairing overall
health. Loud noises raise stress levels by activating the brain's amygdala and
causing the release of the stress hormone cortisol.
Scientists conducting research on the health effects of noise
actually stumbled on a surprise truth -- silence is more than just the lack of
noise pollution. It's an active good that has profound positive effects on us
physiologically and psychologically.
While too much noise can cause stress and tension, silence has the
opposite effect, releasing tensions in the brain and body. A 2006 study
published in the journal Heart found two minutes of silence to be more
relaxing than listening to "relaxing" music, based on changes in
blood pressure and blood circulation in the brain.
One of the most astounding recent discoveries about the health
benefits of silence is that regular
periods of quiet can quite literally grow new brain cells. A
2013 study on mice, published in the journal Brain, Structure, and Function,
involved comparing the effects of ambient noise, white noise, pup calls, and
silence on the rodents' brains.
Although the researchers intended to use silence as a control in
the study, they found that two hours of silence daily led to the development of
new cells in the hippocampus, a key brain region associated with learning,
memory and emotion. Extended periods of silence allow the hippocampus the
opportunity to process, consolidate and strengthen itself. The research author
said, "We saw that silence is really helping the new generated cells to
differentiate into neurons, and integrate into the system." Since the
hippocampus is where our memories are stored and where we process our emotions,
it is critical to learning.
These findings suggested that silence could be therapeutic for
conditions like depression and Alzheimer's, which are associated with decreased
rates of neuron regeneration in the hippocampus. Wouldn't that be an exciting
development for those of us getting older?
In summary, from a physiological standpoint, spending time each
day in silence helps:
- Lower blood pressure, which can help prevent heart attack.
- Boost the body's immune system.
- Benefit brain chemistry by growing new cells.
- Decrease stress by lowering blood cortisol levels and adrenaline.
- Promote good hormone regulation and the interaction of bodily hormone-related systems.
- Prevent plaque formation in arteries.
Who knew that something as simple as sitting quietly could be so
beneficial for our health? I suspect that future research will show additional
benefits in finding a time and place for silence.
So, when was the last time each of us experienced true silence?
Shouldn't we try to get away from extraneous noise a little more regularly?
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