Sarah Hestilow

Aviano High School

Teacher Mentor: Robin Clement

The Effects of Sound on Heart Rate

Sarah Hestilow
Aviano High School, Aviano, Italy
Mentor Robin Clement
Previous studies have shown that different sounds can affect health issues and can be
related cardiovascular diseases. Studies suggest that louder noises cause an increase in heart rate.
The purpose of this study was to test how different sounds affect people and analyze whether or
not people had the same responses. Participants were asked to listen to five different sounds,
beginning and ending in silence, while holding a heart rate monitor. The results of this analysis
may contribute to further studies to help understand the relationship between sounds and the
cardiovascular system.

The Effects of Sound on Heart Rate

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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First and foremost, I would like to thank Captain Alex Gubler, for letting me use the
audiology chamber and facilities at the Aviano Base Clinic, for his time, and for passing his
knowledge of sounds and of hearing on to me. I would also like to thank my physics teacher,
Brian Martin, for helping me interpret data and encouraging me to take part in JSHS, Robin
Clement, my mentor, for his supplies, advice, and time, and finally all of the participants who
took their time to be part of my studies. Last but not least, I would like to thank my father,
Lieutenant Colonel George Hestilow, for introducing and inspiring me to participate in STEM
studies.

This is research involving human subjects conducted under the supervision of an

experienced teacher or researcher and following state and federal regulatory guidance applicable
to the human and ethical conduct of such research.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
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List of Figures and Tables

Introduction

Materials and Methods

Results and Discussion

10

Conclusions

15

References

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LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE 1:

BPM Vs Time graph used to find Average BPM per sound

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FIGURE 2:

Average BPM Vs Sounds Played: Group Data

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FIGURE 3:

Gender Comparison of Initial and Final BPM

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LIST OF TABLES
TABLE 1:

Gender Comparison changes in BPM

INTRODUCTION
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For years, changes in cardiac activity, including heart rate have been studied for the
understanding of the nervous system and how it correlates to noise. Many issues have been
brought up whether or not certain sounds could contribute to adverse health issues such as
cardiovascular diseases. Sound rhythms may act as stressors, and the assumption was that sound,
regarding its form, produced more changes in cardiac activity the louder the sound was (Valerjv
& Simic, 2002). Studies have shown that not only do pitches or volume have a more stressful
effect, but are harmful to health. Because they cause stress on the listener, loud sounds produced
by environmental or lifestyle factors may contribute to the development of diseases (MuenchenGerman Research Centre for Environmental Health).
The aim for the researcher was to determine whether or not certain types of sounds
affected all peoples heart rate to increase or decline, if listened to at the same volume rather than
changing decibel levels. The sounds played in this study were at the same volume level(less than
85 decibels which may cause hearing loss (Rathus 86)). All sounds were played at 65 decibals
(measured using electronic apparatus in the audiology lab). The researcher believed that if the
volume was the same for each sound, then the possible changes of heart rate of each participant
would be similar. The researcher believed that when the peaceful sound played, every
participants BPM would slow down because the volume was the same and the sound would be
more soothing to the listener. The independent variable of this study was three different sounds
with a beginning and ending sound of silence. The dependent variable was heart rate. The
researchers study may lead to further studies in that other psychological factors may contribute
to cardiac activity. It is hopeful that the study will provide more information on the effects of
sound on heart rates for humans, and how to explore the possible health issues or cardiovascular
diseases due to noises.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS

Participants and experimental design
This study was tested with 8 participants, 6 girls and 2 boys between ages 14-18, and all
active in sports. The experimental design consisted of 3 different sounds that were listened to for
an interval of 2 minutes, all within 10 consecutive minutes. Each participant listened to the same
sounds, in the same order, same setting (described in Equipment and Materials), and for the
same duration of time. The five sounds consisted of silence, a noisy hall, peaceful rainforest
noises, repetitive construction work noises, and ending in silence again.

Equipment and Materials

A CD recording was used to create the playlist. The equipment used included a Vernier
LabQuest interface and two handheld Vernier heart rate monitors with appropriate software to
collect and graph cardiac activity within a collective duration of time. Prior to using the hand
held heart rate device, a heart monitor belt was tried, but it was not used due to the inaccurate
data it gave as a result of the participants movement sliding it around or incorrect placement.
Subjects wore sound blocking headphones to listen to the five sounds in a soundproof booth
provided by the audiology center. The setting in which the study was conducted was the same for
each participant, in a sound booth where seats and headphones were provided. The data was
graphed and numerically analyzed using LoggerPro software.

Procedure
Each participant filled out a consent form noting health and physical information, and
then was individually seated in a soundproof booth with headphones plugged into a CD player.
The researcher set up the ring stand next to the participants chair, and moved the clamp that held
the sensor, until it was horizontally level with the white indicator arrow pointing to the
participants hands and monitors. The researcher then connected the monitor to the interface.
The participants were instructed to relax and sit without movement of hands for the 10
minutes in which the study was recorded. The researcher then started the collection of data
through the interface for the duration of 615 seconds, so the test would run for 10 minutes with
an additional 15 seconds to ensure the software was working, and began the playlist at 65
decibels. The listeners heard 2 minutes of silence, 2 minutes of a noisy hall, 2 minutes of
peaceful rainforest noises, 2 minutes of repetitive construction work noises, and an ending 2
minute noise of silence again to measure any change in heart rate from the initial silence to their
final heart rate after listening to the sounds. The listeners heart rate in BPM (beats per minute)
was recorded continuously for the 10 minutes.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Comparing all participant cardiac activity

Because previous studies had shown that loud noises could cause changes in heart rate
prior to performing the test, it was hypothesized that if listened to at the same volume, most
people would have the same reaction: a decrease in heart rate during peaceful noises and an
increase in heart rate listening to the more intense or busy noises. Before being able to analyze
average BPM changes between sounds, the researcher plotted each individual participants Heart
rate Vs Time, and then found the average heart rate for the two minute intervals of each sound
using the Stats feature on the LoggerPro software. The Stats feature provided the mean
between a given amounts of time. Figure 1 shows an example of the calculations and brackets
locating time intervals.

Figure 1: BPM Vs Time graph used to find Average BPM per

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After finding the average BPM for each sound, the researcher plotted all the participants
into one Average BPM Vs Sound graph to analyze the groups changes in cardiac activity to each
sound. Figure 2 shows all the participants cardiac activity while listening to the five noises. As
shown in the graph:
(all noises were listened to for 2 minutes and changed immediately after 2 minutes)

Figure 2: Average BPM Vs Sounds Played: Group Data per

After performing the lab and plotting data, it is obvious that not all participants had the same
cardiac response to the changing noises although the volume remained the same for each.
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a.) from silence to a talking hall: 5 increased, 3 decreased, delta +1.88%

This was the only change in volume due to the initial 2 minutes of no noise. Although it
is assumed that heart rates would increase due to louder noises, 3 decreased. However, majority
of the participants increased, and the average delta was positive 1.88 %( increasing BPM).
b.) from a talking hall to peaceful rainforest: 3 increased, 5 decreased, delta +0.26%
From a busier sound of people talking in a hall to a more peaceful noise, there was still a
different change in cardiac activity. The 3 people whose heart rate increased between these two
sounds were not the same 3 people that decreased from silence to a talking hall. This was the first
change in noises with the same volume, showing that although the volume was the same, the
response was not. The delta percentage from the talking hall to rainforest was positive
0.26(increasing BPM), but not significant enough to draw any conclusions because it was not the
same for all or over 5%.
c.) from a peaceful rainforest to repetitive machine work: 4 increased 4 decreased, delta +2.92%
This result of a tie in increasing and decreasing cardiac activity could have been born due
the fact that the machine work noise was repetitive, as well as annoying. Previous studies have
shown that repetitive noises induce relaxation and decreased cardiac activity because the brain is
no longer trying to guess what is next (Daily Health Posts).
d.) from repetitive machine work to silence again: 2 increased, 6 decreased, delta -2.85%

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The results here were almost as odd as the beginning, in that after the sound of machinery
at 65 decibels, the volume decreased and there was silence for 2 minutes, and the researcher
assumed most heart rates would decrease due to volume decreasing.

Changes in BPM from Initial Silence to Final Silence Gender Studies

A previous study by Utes Kraus and other environmental health experts showed that
different sexes cardiac responses to increased noise were significant; however it could not be
concluded due to the fact that all their participants of this study were of different ages. However,
majority of this labs participants were within the range between 14 and 18 years of age,
therefore age was not a limitation in comparing the cardiac activity between genders because all
participants were of the same age range. Figure 3 shows the graph comparing male and females
change in heart rate from the initial silence to final. Table 1 shows the increase in decrease of
BPM numerically.

SOUND 1: INITAL
SILENCE
SOUND 2: FINAL
SILENCE

Initial BPM

Final BPM

P1
P2

60.06
75.16

62.62
79.27

P3

74.86

75.67

P4

82.36

81.53

P5

77.82

80.21

PINK: FEMALE

P6

83.87

83.89

BLUE: MALE

P7

83.17

89.23

P: PARTICIPANT

P8

78.85

74.85

Figure 3: Gender Comparison of Initial and Final BPM

Table 1: Gender Comparison changes in BPM numerically

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The table and graph comparing the two genders show that gender does not always have
an effect on heart rates from the initial to final silence. The two males in the study (participant 1
& 8), actually had two different responses in cardiac activity and as one increased, the other
decreased. The females also had different responses in that some decreased while others
increased.

Strengths and Limitations

Some limitations must be considered. In order to test volumes relationship with heart
rate to changing sounds, the results may have been more significant if the noises were not
changing from repetitive, to peaceful, to noisy sounds, but instead all of the same pitch. Another
limitation was the number of participants. Given more time and proper equipment, the researcher
could have tested many more people of different ages, gender, and activity levels such as those
that do not play sports on a daily routine. Due to the lack of numbers that were tested, no
absolute conclusion can be drawn. Finally, it may have made a difference if each participant was
tested at the same time of day, and if sounds were played for longer intervals of time to ensure
that they affected the listeners.
Although the study did have limitations, it was also helpful that even with small numbers,
the participants were all within the same range of age, thus age may not have contributed to any
outliers.

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Further studies may be conducted by correcting limitations including studies in a

different setting that may affect differences or with different sounds.

CONCLUSION
This studys purpose was to test whether or not subjects cardiac activity would change
listening to different sounds although the volume was the same. As previous studies noted before
that louder noises increased BPM, this study was aiming to understand whether or not controlled
volume levels would produce similar results in cardiac activity as different sounds were played.
The results suggested that even after playing noises at the same volume of 65 decibels,
cardiac activity of the listeners were not the same. Also, the initial sound of silence to noise and
the final sound of silence from noise suggested that louder sounds do not increase the heart rate
of all people. Ultimately the researchers study may suggest that cardiac activity is not dependent
on volume, but none of the changes in heart rate were significant enough to prove anything. After
statistically analyzing data, the average percent change between sounds was never significantly
different enough to prove the hypothesis. This study may have also suggested that gender does
not always alter associations with noise, and that sexes do not play a large role in cardiac activity
in relation to sounds; however the results again were not significant enough nor was there
enough data to prove the statement true.
The study of sounds and nervous system cannot be proven completely, in that there are
variables that cannot be controlled due to psychological factors, biological makeup,
environmental factors, age, study designs, etc. However many studies including this one indicate
that sounds and noise may have a significant effect on cardiac functions and may cause health
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consequences. Further studies and research will be conducted in the aim to understand how the
nervous system is affected by noise as well as the goal of seeking prevention for common cardiac
diseases caused by sounds.

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REFERENCES
Kraus U, Schneider A, Breitner S, Hampel R, Rckerl R, Pitz M, Geruschkat U,
Belcredi P, Radon K, Peters
A. 2013. Individual Daytime Noise Exposure during
Routine Activities and Heart Rate Variability in Adults: A Repeated Measures Study.
Environ Health Perspect 121:607612; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1205606
Muenchen, Helmholtz Z. Exposure to Everyday Noise Influences Heart Rate
Variability. ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2 May 2013. Web. 02
Jan.2015.<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/ 130502081739.htm>.
Rathus, Spencer A. "Chapter 8 Sensation and Perception." Holt Psychology:
Principles in Practice. Austin,
TX.: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2003. 86. Print.
Valerjev, P., & Simic, N. (2002). Sound rhythm effects on cardiac parameters.
Review of Psychology, 9, 41-48
"According to Scientists, This Is The Most Relaxing Tune Ever Recorded - Daily
Health Post." Daily Health Post. Daily Health Posts, 26 Nov. 2013. Web. 03 Jan. 2015.
<http://dailyhealthpost.com/according-to-scientists-this-is-the-most-relaxingtune-ever
recorded/2/>.

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