These ten ways to protect your hearing should be followed in order to avoid permanent hearing loss in adults and children. There are nearly 33 million people in the United States alone who are suffering from hearing loss. Exposure to excessive noise accounts for nearly one third of all these cases.

1. Try to limit the amount of time you are directly exposed to sounds that are over 85 decibels. Sounds that are comparable to 85 decibels are motorcycles or lawn mowers.
2. Avoid environments where you have to raise your voice to be heard.
3. Wear ear protection when you are around extremely noisy environments.
4. Do not sit next to the monitors or amplifiers on the stage at a concert.
5. See an ENT doctor as soon as you notice any changes in your hearing or if you are experiencing any pain in your ears.
6. Make sure the sound coming from your MP3 player is not too loud. If the sound can be heard more than three feet away, it’s too loud for you.
7. Take frequent breaks from loud music or other noises to allow your ears a time of recovery.
8. Never clean your ear canals with cotton buds.
9. Wear ear protection when firing a gun.
10. Make sure children who are prone to ear infections get treatment immediately to avoid a ruptured ear drum and scarring which can cause permanent hearing loss.