Health · 2026-10-18 · Afternoon briefing

Noise-cancelling headphones found to reduce post-surgery nausea

A study from China offers a non-pharmacological solution for a common post-surgical complaint. Researchers at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University in Suzhou found that patients who wore noise-cancelling headphones during their operations had significantly better outcomes. Within 48 hours of surgery, just 35% of the headphone group experienced nausea or vomiting, compared to 52% of those without.

The team, led by Huayue Liu, recorded average noise levels of 66 decibels in operating theatres, about the level of a normal conversation. The working theory is that even under general anaesthesia, the brain continues to process ambient sound, which may trigger nausea. Liu notes that while the exact mechanism remains a hypothesis, there is a “biological plausibility” that anaesthesia does not eliminate all neural processing of sound.

The results support a wider body of research suggesting that general anaesthesia is not a simple 'off switch' for the brain. According to Vigi Katlowitz of the Baylor College of Medicine, the data is consistent with decades of findings showing that sensory input can still have physiological effects on an unconscious patient.

Summary written by Cup of News with AI from the sources below. Check the originals for the full story.

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• There’s more to headphones than music. Doctors say they can reduce health troubles post-surgery
• Wearing headphones during surgery may reduce nausea and vomiting afterward
• Noise-cancelling headphones prevent vomiting after surgery
• We found the 8 best noise-cancelling earbuds after extensive testing
• The Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones

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