This article was written by Ann Welker, Au.D., F-AAA, a HearingLoss.com®-Certified provider at Audio Professional Hearing Centers in York, Gettysburg, and Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania.
Excess Noise Exposure and Other Threats Can Harm One of Your Most Crucial Senses — Here’s What to Do
Hearing loss doesn’t have to be an inevitable part of aging. Though hearing problems are often associated with growing older, the truth is that noise exposure, everyday habits, and even common health conditions can impact your hearing at any stage of life, whether you’re in your teens, 30s, 70s, or beyond.
The good news? Hearing loss is often preventable, and protecting your ears is easier than you might think. Read on to learn how to prevent hearing loss, when to seek professional care, what important steps you can start today, and why investing in your hearing health is one of the smartest decisions you can make.
Why Hearing Health Matters at Every Age
It’s not uncommon for ears to be an afterthought — until something goes wrong. Yet hearing is a cornerstone of connection. It supports relationships, safety, independence, balance, and even brain health. Research shows that untreated hearing loss is linked to social isolation, depression, cognitive decline, increased risk of falls, and other serious issues.
But here’s the encouraging part: Hearing loss isn’t always a forgone conclusion. In fact, many causes are preventable. With the right habits, awareness, and professional care, you can take meaningful steps today that protect your hearing for years to come, helping you stay connected, confident, and empowered.
How Hearing Loss Happens
To understand how to prevent hearing loss, it helps to understand what causes it. Hearing loss falls into three main categories:
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common. It occurs when the cochlea, an inner-ear organ, or the auditory nerve is damaged. Causes may include:
- Aging (age-related hearing loss is called presbycusis)
- Prolonged exposure to loud noise
- Certain medications (ototoxic drugs)
- Health conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure
Conductive Hearing Loss
This involves problems in the outer or middle ear, such as:
- Earwax buildup
- Ear infections
- Fluid behind the eardrum
- Physical blockage
- Head injury
Mixed Hearing Loss
This is a combination of sensorineural and conductive hearing loss components. There’s damage or dysfunction in both the inner ear or auditory-nerve pathways (sensorineural) and the outer- or middle-ear structures (conductive).
Curious About Your Hearing?
Get a quick sense of how you’re hearing today. This simple tool offers helpful insight, and no matter your results, a certified provider can give you a full baseline test.
Everyday Habits That Can Harm Hearing
From the volume in your earbuds to the way you clean your ears, certain habits can quietly chip away at your hearing over time.
Listening Too Loud
Many people worldwide — including more than a billion young adults — are vulnerable to irreversible hearing loss from unsafe listening. Using earbuds or headphones at high volumes, for example, is a common path to hearing damage.
Sound levels above 85 decibels (about the volume of city traffic while in your car) can cause harm over time. Some devices can quickly expose you to levels over 100 decibels, especially when paired with earbuds inserted right into the ear canal.
Skipping Hearing Protection at Loud Events
Concerts, sporting events, and even group fitness classes can expose you to dangerously high sound levels. Without proper ear protection, you risk permanent hearing damage — even after just one event.
Ignoring Ear Health
Chronic ear infections, impacted earwax, or untreated conditions like temporomandibular joint (TMJ) can all affect hearing. Ignoring symptoms or delaying care allows small issues to worsen over time.
Smoking and Poor Cardiovascular Health
Your heart and your ears are connected. The inner ear relies on healthy circulation. Smoking, high blood pressure, and unmanaged diabetes can reduce blood flow and potentially damage delicate structures of the ear.
Using Cotton Swabs to Clean Ears
Cotton swabs are a definite, “No,” for inserting in ears. They can get lodged in the ear canal, cause pain, or push earwax deeper into the canal, risking injury to the eardrum. Instead, let wax naturally work its way out or consult a trained provider for professional ear cleaning.
Avoiding Routine Hearing Screenings
Some adults skip hearing tests until they experience major symptoms. In one study, close to 77% of respondents hadn’t had a hearing evaluation in the prior two years. Without a baseline hearing test and regular evaluations, however, early signs can go unnoticed — and untreated.
How to Prevent Hearing Loss Naturally
Get a Baseline Hearing Test
If you’ve never had your hearing tested — or it’s been a while — make an appointment. A hearing evaluation with a HearingLoss.com-Certified provider can establish a baseline and catch early changes before they become serious.
Use Hearing Protection in Noisy Settings
Protective gear isn’t just for musicians, construction workers, or airport personnel. If you’re attending a concert, using power tools, or mowing the lawn, wear high-fidelity earplugs or earmuffs designed, customized for your ears, to curb harmful decibel levels while still allowing clear sound.
Turn Down the Volume
Whether you’re streaming music or bingeing your favorite show, keeping the volume in check protects your ears. If someone else can hear your headphones, they’re too loud.
Give Your Ears a Break
Step away from the noise, letting your ears rest and recover. Following the 60/60 rule — listening at no more than 60% volume for no more than 60 minutes — helps reduce the risk of damage.
Prioritize General Health
Like much of the body, your ears are connected to your overall health. Managing chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension, staying active, and eating well can all help support long-term hearing wellness.
Be Mindful at Work
Workplace noise is a common source of hearing damage. If you work in construction, manufacturing, farming, health care, landscaping, or any other occupation that can bring noise, make hearing protection part of your daily routine.
Take the Next Step Toward Long-Term Hearing Health
A certified provider can give you a complete baseline hearing evaluation, help you understand your risk factors, and guide you on the best ways to protect your hearing for years to come.
Signs You Could Be Losing Your Hearing
Hearing loss often begins gradually. If you notice any of the following, it may be time to talk to a professional:
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Frequently saying, “Huh?” or “What?”
- Avoiding phone calls or group discussions
- Feeling like everyone around you is mumbling
- Struggling to follow conversations in noisy settings
- Feeling mentally drained or frustrated after socializing
- Getting complaints from loved ones about your TV/radio volume
Early intervention can make a major difference. The sooner you address hearing challenges, the more options you’ll have to preserve — and even improve — your hearing health.
Hearing Health Is Brain Health
One of the most compelling reasons to take action is the link between hearing and cognition, including the ability to think and remember. A growing body of research ties hearing loss to cognitive decline, including a recent study tying the condition to nearly a third of dementia cases in older adults.
Why? The reasons are yet to be conclusive. One possibility is that the brain must work harder to interpret unclear sound signals, leaving fewer resources for memory and processing. Sound deprivation may also lead to brain atrophy. In addition, social isolation due to hearing loss may lead to less cognitive stimulation and mental engagement, risk factors for dementia.
Increasingly, hearing technology and professional audiological counseling are linked to improved cognitive health or a slower rate of cognitive decline. Reducing hearing loss in midlife at the population level may even help prevent or delay an estimated 7% of dementia cases globally.
Hearing Aids as a Preventive Tool
If you already have hearing loss, the earlier you treat it, the better. Today’s hearing aids are more discreet, powerful, and intuitive than ever — and they’re designed not just to amplify sound but to help you better understand what you’re hearing.
Modern hearing technology can:
- Amplify only the frequencies you need
- Filter out background noise and wind
- Reduce listening effort and mental fatigue
- Connect wirelessly to your phone, TV, and smart devices
Far from being a last resort, hearing aids are a proactive health investment. And when professionally fitted and regularly adjusted, they can significantly improve communication, safety, and well-being.
Quick Answers About Preventing Hearing Loss
How can I protect my ears from loud noise?
Wear protective gear like customized earplugs or earmuffs in loud settings and limit your exposure time. Follow the 60/60 rule when listening to audio.
Is hearing loss reversible?
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss may be reversed if addressed in time. Most sensorineural hearing loss is usually permanent but can be effectively managed with hearing aids.
Do hearing aids prevent further hearing loss?
Hearing aids don’t reverse damage, but they help reduce strain and protect remaining hearing by improving sound clarity and reducing the need to increase volume.
What are the early warning signs of hearing loss?
Difficulty understanding conversations, increasing the volume on electronics, and withdrawing from social situations are all common signs of early hearing loss.
When should I get a hearing test?
Routine evaluations are important, providing a baseline on your hearing, helping you catch potential problems early, and supporting your total health. Schedule them annually and also if you have risk factors like frequent noise exposure, chronic conditions, or family history.
How HearingLoss.com Can Help
Hearing loss prevention and treatment deserve care and attention — and you don’t have to navigate it alone. Whether you’re seeking preventive help, concerned about your current hearing, or simply curious about how to stay healthy, support is available.
At HearingLoss.com, we connect you to trusted professionals, provide education you can count on, and offer tools to help you take the next step — from taking our free online hearing screener to finding a hearing care professional near you.
If it’s been a while since your last hearing test, don’t put it off. Take a proactive step toward better hearing and overall wellness. Prevention starts now.
References
- ACHIEVE Study. (2023). ACHIEVE Study. https://www.achievestudy.org/. Accessed July 7, 2025.
- Cochary, J. (2021, March 16). Info Center. Noise Awareness Day; Center for Hearing and Communication. https://noiseawareness.org/info-center/common-noise-levels/. Accessed July 7, 2025.
- Deafness and hearing loss. (2025, February 26). Who.int; World Health Organization: WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss. Accessed July 7, 2025.
- Dementia prevention, intervention, and care 2024. (2024). The Lancet. https://www.thelancet.com/infographics-do/dementia-risk. Accessed July 7, 2025.
- Ishak E, Burg EA, Pike JR, et al. (2025). Population Attributable Fraction of Incident Dementia Associated With Hearing Loss. JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, 151(6), 568. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoto.2025.0192. Accessed July 7, 2025.
- Most older adults haven’t gotten checked for hearing loss, with women less likely than men to be screened or tested. (2021). Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation. https://ihpi.umich.edu/news-events/news/most-older-adults-havent-gotten-checked-hearing-loss-women-less-likely-men-be. Accessed July 7, 2025.
- Pike, J. R., Huang, A. R., Reed, N. S., et. al. (2025). Cognitive benefits of hearing intervention vary by risk of cognitive decline: A secondary analysis of the ACHIEVE trial. Alzheimer S & Dementia, 21(5), e70156–e70156. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70156. Accessed July 7, 2025.
- What Are Safe Decibels? #KeepListening. (2025). Hearing Health Foundation. Hearing Health Foundation. https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/keeplistening/decibels. Accessed July 7, 2025.
Audio Professional Hearing Centers, located in York, Gettysburg, and Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania, is a family-owned local company that has provided comprehensive hearing services to south-central Pennsylvania for over 40 years. We believe that better hearing and communication lead to a better life. We value each of our patients and strive to provide exceptional and personalized service to all.
