Noise-Canceling Headphones Prevents Post-Surgery Sickness

Getting sick, such as nausea and vomiting, after surgery is something many people have experienced. However, there is now a solution to that.

Wearing noise-canceling headphones have been found to reduce these unwanted symptoms. This trick appeared to work even for those put under general anesthesia, which the Cleveland Clinic says is when unconsciousness is induced. The discovery further emphasized that unconsciousness does not mean we are entirely “shut off,” as we might initially think. Instead, the state functions very differently than we previously thought.

This means treating unconsciousness more like a background app on a computer that’s doing menial tasks such as updates and general tasks that uses far less power, rather than a binary on-or-off switch for any ordinary electronic device.

According to medical research published in a Nature article that studied anesthetized brain activity, “Even under general anesthesia, the human brain can analyze language, recognize different types of words, and predict what comes next in a story…”

Nausea and vomiting are usually warded off by “taking it easy,” generally being careful, alongside doctors giving drugs to their patients.

Research offers new and exciting opportunities to approach the problem from a simpler and more natural angle. The connection is, as of yet, unclear.

Oxford Academic had a similar conclusion on noise affecting patient health. “Noise isolation was found to be an effective, safe, and non-invasive preventive intervention that significantly lowered the incidence of moderate-to-severe pain…”

While this study pertained specifically to major abdominal surgery, and not necessarily every single procedure. Using noise-canceling headphones rather than medications would be a great for those with sensitive conditions, such as those with immune deficiencies, along with the elderly, and the youth.

These methods also can apply to those that have specific allergies, or take other prescriptions which can conflict with drugs the doctor would be prescribing them. Ultimately, this is a very interesting and promising find that could revolutionize the healthcare field, making surgery a far less cumbersome and arduous task for patients to undertake.