Abstract
BACKGROUND: Noise has been found to have non auditory effects. One of the possible non auditory effects of noise is its effect on blood pressure. Available data on the effect of noise on blood pressure has been found to vary. Hence, the aim of this study was to find if there is a predictive effect of noise on blood pressure.
 
 METHOD: Study was done among sawmill workers in Ile-Ife. The noise in each sawmill was measured with a sound meter and blood pressure of each participants were recorded. A regression analysis was done using systolic and diastolic blood pressures as dependent variables and noise as the predictor.
 
 RESULTS: A total of 420 sawmill workers were recruited into the study with an average age of 33.53±8.59 years. The average noise level in the sawmill was 88±1.87 dB and the average systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 132 ± 21mmHg and 85 ± 13mmHg respectively. There was no significant effect of noise on systolic blood pressure {F (1, 419) = 0.958, P>0.05} but there was a significant effect of noise on diastolic pressure {F (1, 419) = 7.543, P<0.05}.
 
 CONCLUSION: This study found that exposure to noise is a predisposing factor to increase in blood pressure.
Highlights
Noise is an aperiodic complex sound (Dhingra, 2010)
There was no significant effect of noise on systolic blood pressure {F (1, 419) = 0.958, P>0.05} but there was a significant effect of noise on diastolic pressure {F (1, 419) = 7.543, P
This study found that exposure to noise is a predisposing factor to increase in blood pressure
Summary
Noise is an aperiodic complex sound (Dhingra, 2010). Exposure to loud sounds for a prolong period of time has been shown to have deleterious effects on the sensory organ of hearing within the inner ear (Otoghile et al, 2018). Prolong exposure to loud noise is potentially associated with negative health consequences. Several studies have confirmed the effects of noise on hearing, sleep and annoyance. The available data from studies on the effects of noise on blood pressure is rather sparse and shows some variability. Noise has been identified as a possible external factor that can affect heart rate and blood pressure (Yousefi Rizi & Dehghan, 2012). It is very essential to know and confirm the actual effects of noise on blood pressure as there are variable findings from the literature and hypertension is a known cause of potential morbidity and mortality if not detected and managed early. One of the possible non auditory effects of noise is its effect on blood pressure. Available data on the effect of noise on blood pressure has been found to vary. The aim of this study was to find if there is a predictive effect of noise on blood pressure
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