Give Your Heart the Silent Treatment

Loud noises that drive you batty may be bad for your heart, too.

Screaming children, honking traffic, the construction site next door -- being constantly assaulted by the high-decibel sounds of modern-day life can make stress levels soar and heart health plummet.

The simplest solution may be to block out some of it.
Tote a set of earplugs to deal with relentless noise or, in a pinch, just stick your fingers in your ears.

Your heart will slow and your ears will feel better, too.

RealAge Benefit: Actively patrolling your health can make your RealAge as much as 12 years younger.

How loud is too loud?

It depends on whether you're concerned about your heart or your hearing.

For your ears, anything around 70 or 80 decibels -- a noisy office, a loud vacuum -- can damage your hearing if you're exposed to it for several hours. (And, yes, a rock concert is off the hearing charts -- worse than a jackhammer.)

But for your heart, it can take less noise pollution to create cardiac stress.
Just living near high-traffic roads made people more prone to a heart attack, research shows.

It's a good reason to seek out quiet time every day, whether that means taking a warm soak after work or a peaceful walk with a friend, your dog, or just your inner thoughts.

now, i tink my daily shower ritual is doing mi some good after all.
and i enjoy a long walk by myself wif juz my thots.
sometimes, i do get so fed up in the car tat i need to off the radio for my thots