If the noise around you is so loud that you have to shout to be heard, there is a chance that you’ll have some trouble hearing. Loud noise can damage the parts of your inner ear that detect sound and send signals to the brain. Temporary hearing loss can happen when you are around loud noises. If you have temporary hearing loss, you won’t be able to hear as well as you normally do for a while.
You also could have tinnitus which is a medical term for ringing in the ears. Your ears may feel fine with it. But hearing loss can become permanent if you listen to loud music or hear loud sounds over and over again. To help prevent hearing loss, turn down the volume and wear ear protection the next time you’re around loud noise.
If someone is around loud noise often, over a long time, permanent hearing loss can happen. This means the person’s hearing won’t ever be as good as it once was. That’s why construction workers and factory workers need to wear ear protection. Lawn mowers and power tools, like chainsaws, are loud enough to cause tinnitus and hearing loss.
Listening to loud music a lot can cause the same kind of damage, especially if you use headphones or earbuds. Some famous musicians have lost their hearing and have tinnitus that doesn’t go away which is a real problem for someone who needs to hear to make music. That’s why some of your favorite musicians wear hearing protection while they’re playing.
Overall, protect your ears by wearing ear plugs or ear muffs when you’re mowing the lawn or around loud machinery. Also remember to turn down the volume, especially when you’re wearing headphones or earbuds or listening to music in the car. You also might want to give your ears a rest by not wearing headphones or earbuds all the time.
