Traffic, trains, nightlife – in cities everywhere, there is a near constant background hum that most people simply get used to.

But research shows that this background noise can affect your sleep, stress levels and even increase your risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.

Indeed, noise is now considered the second biggest environmental health risk in Europe after air pollution. Around one in five people living in European cities are exposed to harmful levels of environmental noise.

I study how sound shapes cities, including how environmental noise affects health and everyday life. This makes Denmark and England an interesting comparison because, despite facing similar challenges, each country has made different choices about how much noise is accepted as part of urban life.

Health Gap / Sundhedskløften is a collaborative series from The Conversation UK and Denmark’s Videnskab.dk exploring what the two countries can learn from each other when it comes to health and wellbeing.

From cycling and alcohol to inequality, healthcare and everyday habits, the series looks beyond hospitals and medical treatment to explore how culture, politics and society shape........

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