The human body is remarkably good at getting used to the environment around it. You’ve probably experienced this if you’ve ever gone to a matinee and emerged from the dark theater into sunshine. Your eyes sting, so you squint and shield your face until they adjust to the bright sunlight.

In the same way, the body can grow accustomed to constant noise. With repeated exposure to traffic, leaf blowers, construction, loud music, crowded restaurants, fitness classes and sporting events, you can become accustomed to loud environments. Over time, what once seemed unusually loud may barely register.

But what feels normal isn’t necessarily safe. Noise is an important but often overlooked environmental health hazard, with effects ranging from hearing loss to cardiovascular disease.

I think about noise constantly because I’m an audiologist and hearing scientist with expertise in occupational exposures. But hazardous noise isn’t limited to the workplace. You likely encounter noise every day without knowing when it poses a risk. The good news is that many of the harmful effects of noise are preventable – once you know what to listen for.

Noise affects more than your ears

The most obvious consequence of excessive noise is hearing damage. Loud sounds can damage delicate sensory cells in the inner ear, leading to permanent hearing loss. Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, is another common consequence of noise exposure.

But hearing damage is only part of the story. Chronic environmental noise can affect health through other pathways, too. Noise acts as a stressor, activating the autonomic nervous and endocrine systems and........

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