New Delhi, May 30 -- Did you hear about all the harm that loud noise is causing us? Probably not because of the construction-induced cacophony that plagues urban India. The deafening drills and loud excavators used in infrastructure and construction projects rip through more than just your ears.

Apart from damaging hearing, regular exposure to loud noise affects heart, sleep, mood and cognition, says Dr. Pawan Kumar Goyal, senior director for internal medicine at Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, New Delhi. Noise pollution causes hearing loss, tinnitus, stress-related hormone changes, higher blood pressure, and longer-term cardiovascular and mental health problems, say doctors.

Safe noise depends on loudness and duration, usually measured...