Unlike eyesight, hearing can't be surgically corrected once the inner ear's cells are destroyed: noise damage is cumulative and irreversible. The good news: protecting your hearing is mostly a matter of good reflexes.
Understanding the 85 dB rule
From about 85 dB (heavy traffic, a lawnmower), noise strains the inner ear; the louder the volume, the shorter the “safe” duration — from 8 hours at 85 dB to barely a few minutes at 100 dB (concert, chainsaw). The simple test: if you have to shout to talk to someone a metre away, the level is dangerous.
Everyday reflexes
- Earbuds: apply the 60/60 rule — never more than 60% volume, never more than 60 minutes straight. Noise-cancelling headphones help you listen quieter in transit.
- Concerts and shows: keep away from the speakers and wear filtered earplugs — the music stays faithful, just quieter.
- DIY and yard work: mower, saw and blower call for earmuffs or plugs, systematically.
- After heavy exposure: give your ears a real period of quiet — that's their recovery time.
Custom-made: the protection you actually wear
The best protection is the one you keep in your ears. Custom-molded earplugs are so comfortable you forget them: music filters for concerts and musicians, certified work versions, hunting models that block the gunshot, swimming and sleep plugs.
And simply keep watch
Temporary ringing after a night out, a “cotton-wool” feeling in the ears: these are warnings. An annual screening lets you track your hearing the way you track your blood pressure — and act at the first sign.
Remember: every exposure counts, in both directions. Every time you protect your ears, that's hearing capital preserved for your next twenty years.
Questions after reading this?
Come discuss them at a free* screening — no obligation.