What is noise pollution and what can you do about it?
Stop for a minute. Turn off the TV. Take off your headphones. What do you hear? If you hear nothing but natural sounds — birds, water, bees buzzing, then you’re…
Category: Hearing health
Why you need to just listen
From noise-cancelling headphones that block out noise to soundbars that turn our TVs into mini cinemas, everything we do seems to take away our ability to just listen to what’s…
Notifications and alarms – why it’s time to silence your digital world
Back in the late 1980s, my Nan bought a Grandfather clock for my Grandad. And my grandad was delighted. He set it up and we all waited patiently for the…
What does tinnitus sound like?
EEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeEEEeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Annoying right? Welcome to the world of my tinnitus. But surely all tinnitus is the same? A ringing sound in the ears. Yes, I thought the same when I…
How going on a silent retreat stopped me farting
I had many expectations about going on a silent retreat. Some realistic (finding some quiet space and alone time), some not so much (writing a novel in five nights and…
There’s no such thing as silence
For the last year, I’ve been searching for silence, often with less than perfect outcomes. I’ve become increasingly anxious with all the manmade sounds that surround me and felt a need…
Four sounds I’m not looking forward to as we return to normal
On this, the first anniversary of the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK (23 March 2020), I remember how shockingly quiet the world became when we all stopped going out.…
Why we need to listen more
Five years ago, my tinnitus started. Silence was a thing of the past. Then over the last few years, I become more and more sensitive to and annoyed by noise.…
Hush! 