According to the World Health Organization, noise is no longer classified as a "nuisance." The noise that we generate is now a health risk.

Exposure to loud sounds obviously leads to hearing loss. But going progressively deaf is not the only problem associated with noise. Continued or frequent exposure to loud noise can cause sleep disturbances, heart stress, high blood pressure, headaches, mental and emotional stress, and even adverse behavioral changes.

We often hear about noise-induced hearing loss from exposure at work; we do not often discuss how we contribute to our own hearing loss from exposure to noise outside of work. Technology, with all the bells and whistles that we insert directly into our ears, is the leading cause of hearing impairment in teens and young adults. Add the increased volume on televisions, radios, computers, games, sports events, concerts, firearms, racing, mowers, leaf blowers, weed eaters, and chain saws. It seems to be a non-ending list. We constantly get more and more exposure to more and more noise.

Depending on the vehicle you drive, you can already be over-exposed to harmful noise levels simply by turning on the radio loud enough to hear what is being said over road noise. Add the extra speakers and turn up the volume until you feel the vibrating in the car seat and you have a perfect environment for going deaf.

Not only is noise-induced hearing loss preventable, it is progressive. We don’t realize that our hearing is disappearing because we are able to "bounce back" from high noise exposure.  Or, at least we think so. Our ears don’t bleed or show signs of over-exposure, so we often ignore the problem. After a while, the hearing components in our ears get so damaged that we don’t bounce back. So, turning up the volume a little more on the television or radio isn’t that noticeable – except to everyone else within earshot of you.

Another point to consider is the propaganda on hearing aids. Losing a little hearing? A hearing aid will help. Actually, that is far from the truth. Once you lose hearing in a particular frequency range from destroyed cells in your ears, that frequency range is lost forever. Once the cells die, they never regenerate. As with my dad, a hearing aid may help enhance certain sounds; he was able to hear birds and motorcycles clearly, but he still couldn’t hear someone talking who was standing right next to him. A hearing aid does not "aid" in your hearing.

Let’s shoot for more quiet. Leave the radio off in the car for a few miles. Wear ear plugs when you cut grass or blow leaves. If you have to stick noise directly into your ears, turn down the volume. Get your life back in order – be quiet!