How Loud is Too Loud? Get the Facts.
To protect your hearing, avoid loud noises, use hearing protection, and ask your doctor about getting your hearing checked.
Noise is all around us — at school, work, home, and everywhere in between. But over time, different kinds of noise can add up to an unsafe level that can make you lose your hearing — and once your hearing is gone, you can’t get it back.
DID YOU KNOW?
Loudness is measured in something called decibels. Any repeated continuous sound that’s 70 decibels or higher can hurt your health.
More than 20 million adults in the United States have hearing damage from loud noise that’s not related to their job.
The louder a sound is, and the longer you listen to it, the more it can damage your hearing.
It’s not just your ears that are in danger! Too much loud noise can cause other health problems, too — like high blood pressure or trouble sleeping.
Here’s the good news:
There’s a lot you can do to protect your hearing!
TO PROTECT YOUR HEARING:
Stay away from loud noises when you can. How can you tell if it’s too loud? Watch for these signs:
- You have to raise your voice to be heard
- The noise hurts your ears or makes them ring.
- You have trouble hearing, or normal sounds seem muffled, right after the noise stops.
If you’re somewhere loud, try moving further away from the noise, even if it’s just for a few minutes. If it’s loud outside, close the windows.
Turn the volume down. Keep the volume at a safe level when you’re watching TV or listening to music. Aim for a volume that lets you talk to someone a few feet away without raising your voice.
Use hearing protection. If you’re going somewhere loud, like a concert or sports game, bring a pair of earplugs or noise-blocking earmuffs.
Get your hearing checked. Many people with hearing loss don’t know they have it. Of adults who say they have good hearing, about 1 in 4 already have some hearing damage. At your next check-up, ask your doctor to check your hearing.
To learn more about how loud noise can damage your hearing, visit
www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/
