Today’s Resolution: Save Your Ears & Sanity By Going Silent

I learned a few things this week about sound. First, an ex-retail employee used to dealing with crowds and noise told me that any constant sound over 75 decibels for an extended period of time (like being a retail employee at an extremely busy small store) can cause hearing loss or damage.

Then I read that “Nonstop exposure to low-level background noise (like people yakking, phones ringing and distant horns blaring) doesn’t just drive you nuts — it’s also stressful to your nervous system and can dampen your mood by 40 percent”, suggests researchers at Cornell University.

So today’s resolution is to take some time away from the noise for as long as you can. Find a silent place, or use the earplugs we recommended in yesterday’s resolution and take a sound break.