Occupational Hygiene Practice Test

Loud sounds act as a physiological stressor that can affect the cardiovascular system. When noise is intense, the body's fight-or-flight response is activated, releasing stress hormones and increasing sympathetic activity. This raises heart rate and blood pressure and causes blood vessels to tighten. Repeated or long-term exposure can make these transient reactions more persistent, contributing to hypertension, vascular dysfunction, and higher risk of heart disease and stroke. Noise can also disturb sleep, and poor sleep quality is itself a major risk factor for cardiovascular problems. So, exposure to high-intensity noise tends to have a negative influence on cardiovascular health. It's not correct to say there’s no impact or that the effect would only occur after prolonged exposure, since both acute and chronic exposures can produce adverse cardiovascular responses.