Let’s be honest: We all love living in New York, but it does have its drawbacks—an obvious quality-of-life compromiser being the excessive noise from the hustle and bustle of the NYC streets. Although probably nothing more than a nuisance to residents and businesses in the inner cities, the city noise can have a more significant affect on hospitals and its patients. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia has teamed up with CitiQuiet Soundproof Windows to mitigate the physiological and psychological effects that the city noise has on its patients during the healing process. Our soundproof window installations will help these hospital patients get the peace and rest they need for a healthy recovery.
The Healing Power of Silence
Noise can be a [not-so] silent killer in the healing process, but overlooked nonetheless. Though not a particularly pressing concern for hospitals located in suburban and rural areas, city-centric hospitals, like those of New York, need to consider the effect that noise has on its patients during the recovery and resting process after operation or invasive surgery.
Reducing the stimulation of noise is, first and foremost, important for proper sleep. Patients need ample restorative sleep in order to heal, nurture, and regenerate body tissues, heart, blood vessels and the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system that activates primarily during sleep. The immediate periods following surgery are the most critical for patients to acquire a great deal of proper rest.
Aside from the tranquility that silence naturally brings, there are several physiologically damaging consequences of noise exposure. There have been studies conducted that prove that noise stimulation raises levels of stress hormones like adrenaline, cortisol and noradrenaline in the body, all of which are linked to conditions such as heart failure, immune system deficiencies, high blood pressure and stroke. In periods following invasive operation, the body is even more sensitive and susceptible to the effects of noise stimulation on stress hormones, which is why it’s important for patients to be in quiet, peaceful environments during recovery.
One additional benefit of a silent hospital arena is that it tends to increase doctor focus when conducting operations. Hospitals are already stressful environments, which is why it’s important to foster a silent working space for doctors to work efficiently and uninterrupted.
CitiQuiet Soundproofs NewYork-Presbyterian Hospitals
Over the past several weeks, CitiQuiet has finished a complete soundproof window installation for one of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s ten locations at Columbia University Medical Center. Renowned for its Comprehensive Cancer Center and Department of Orthopedic Surgery, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia offers the latest interventional therapies and programs for emergency, primary and specialty care.
Located on West 168th Street just north of Upper Manhattan, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia is no stranger to the city noise and bustle. CitiQuiet’s soundproof window installation project for NewYork-Presbyterian’s Columbia location will reduce unwanted noise by up to 95 percent—an initiative that its patients will benefit from greatly during critical periods of rest and recovery.
For more information on how CitiQuiet’s soundproof windows can help reduce noise, please call us at 212-874-5362. We are more than happy to explain our installation process, affordable cost options, or any other inquiries you may have.
