Hearing loss might not be at the top of your list of health concerns. But if you’ve ever noticed your ears ringing after a concert, or asked your pal to repeat themselves again (and again) at a packed restaurant, perhaps you’ve wondered: Is this…normal?
In a lot of cases, you’re probably fine—hearing loss is more likely to affect you later in life or alongside certain health conditions, like diabetes or meningitis. (Some medications can impact your ears, too.) Still, it’s not a bad idea to worry juuuuust a little: Loud noise is a major contributor to hearing loss, and “our world is getting louder and louder,” Tricia Ashby-Scabis, AuD, senior director of Audiology Practices at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), tells SELF. In fact, a December 2023 study from BMJ Global Health estimated that more than a billion people ages 12 to 34 may be at risk for hearing damage from loud concerts and listening to music at high volumes. And if you’re asking others to repeat themselves a lot, feel like people are mumbling, and have trouble following group conversations, this could be something worth keeping on your radar (or bringing up to a doc).
But big, rowdy shows aren’t the only things causing issues—there are a ton of less-obvious noises that can rack up damage. Here are six surprising sounds that can mess with your hearing.
1. Your favorite podcasts
Listening to music in your headphones at a high volume can definitely hurt your ears, but according to Ashby-Scabis, podcasts, movies, and audiobooks can be just as dangerous. That’s not necessarily because the person speaking is actually shrieking (though they could be). Rather, you might be unknowingly cranking up the volume when someone’s speech isn’t 100% intelligible or you are, quite literally, waiting on the narrator’s every word. (Hello, spicy true crime podcasts!) FYI: The volume on some devices can go as high as 112 decibels, or about as loud as a chainsaw.
Too loud is too loud, no matter the medium, so play anything from your earbuds or headphones at what sounds like a normal convo. That clocks in around 60 to 70 decibels, per ASHA. You can safely listen at that level for as long as you want.
But how can you know when you’ve crossed that threshold? A noise level app, like the Sound Level Meter from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), can read your smartphone’s decibels. A lot of devices also have built-in settings that automatically reduce the volume when it senses it’s too high or send you a quick alert, Amy Sarow, AuD, lead audiologist for the digital hearing health platform Soundly, tells SELF.
2. Jobs with drills, motors, and sneakily loud atmospheres
Noise at work is so serious that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has rules about when your employer has to take steps to protect your hearing. This means no more than 85 decibels or higher over eight working hours. Naturally, some professions tend to be a lot louder than others, including:
- Dentists and dental hygienists. If you tense up hearing drills and suctions while getting your teeth cleaned, imagine those sounds on repeat 40 hours per week, Ashby-Scabis says.
- Restaurant servers and bartenders. The same logic applies here, per Ashby-Scabis: “We might complain about [a really noisy] restaurant when we go in, but think about the people working. That waitstaff and the bartenders are exposed to that noise all the time,” she says.
- Drivers of heavy vehicles. “People who drive a lot tend to have more damage to the left ear because that’s closer to the window, which tends to get more noise exposure,” Sarow says. (Having the window open makes it worse, one study suggests.)
- Factory and construction workers. OSHA has specific guidelines for noise protection for folks who work in these fields because your exposure can be so high. (A jackhammer can reach 130 decibels, for example.)
Pop in earplugs if your employer allows it. You can opt for cheap, over-the-counter ones made from foam, plastic, or rubber, Sarow says, which often cut down about 15 to 30 decibels. Of course, everyone’s ear canal is pretty unique, shape-wise, so you might need to experiment to find a pair that’s comfortable and fits well, according to the NIDCD. (Here are some of our favorite earplugs to try.) If your job is really deafening, like in construction, Sarow suggests also wearing over-the-ear muffs on top (and OSHA requires it in many cases).
At a restaurant or bar, consider asking your manager to lower the volume of the music and take breaks as you can, Sarow says. If your boss is adamant about blasting music and you’re really concerned (and maybe a bit uncomfortable bringing it up), you can also consider filing an anonymous complaint with OSHA.
3. High-octane hobbies
It might be tempting to shrug off clamorous activities—say, hitting up spin class three times per week or going out with friends—as no big deal for your ears. But damage from these things can add up quickly over time in the same way it can with everything else: Imagine someone who grew up playing football, for example, Ashby-Scabis says: “Even by college age, they’re having aches and pains and different issues. As they age, there’s a lot of wear and tear of the body, and hearing is the exact same way.”
A good rule of thumb? “If somebody’s at an arm’s length from you and you find you’re having to raise your voice or you can't hear them, that’s a sign that place is too loud,” Sarow says. Here are a few particularly intense culprits:
- Bars and restaurants
- Workout classes
- Movie theaters
- Sporting events
- Fireworks
- Amusement parks
- Riding ATVs
- Water sports (like boating or using a Jet Ski)
Again, earplugs are super helpful here. If you’re a concert fan, you could try musician-caliber earplugs from brands like Loop, Decibullz, and Earasers. These are often custom-fit to your ears (so you can skip the trial-and-error phase) and “maintain the integrity of what you’re listening to, they just soften it,” Ashby-Scabis says. (If you are a parent or caregiver, you can also encourage children to use earplugs when they go to a loud concert or amusement park.)
Reposition yourself whenever you can, too: For example, pick a bike at your favorite indoor cycling class that isn’t right next to the speakers. “The more distance you put between a noise source, the less damage it’s going to cause,” Ashby-Scabis says. And it’s okay to (politely!) ask restaurant staff to turn down the volume. “I think it’s hard when you have to advocate for yourself,” Ashby-Scabis says. “Most people [think], I’ll just let this pass. I don’t want to be the person to complain.’” (And if it’s deafening, chances are another diner or employee probably agrees and will be thankful you spoke up.)
4. Household chores
Mowing the lawn, blow drying your hair, or using power tools can already feel like a drag—but they’re also bad news for your hearing: You could be looking at 91 to 112 decibels for something as mundane as making your morning smoothie in a blender. “It’s going to depend on how loud it is, but any extended exposure, if it’s exceeding 80 decibels, you do want to limit it,” Sarow says.
You can fire up the aforementioned noise level app and stick in some earplugs (yes, even to whip up your a.m. drink), per Sarow. Noise-canceling headphones can offer a little buffer, but earplugs are more legit, she adds.
5. Your daily commute
You’re going to encounter a lot of sounds on the train or even just walking through your neighborhood. Depending on the logistics of your trip, you might hear any of the following with particularly high decibels (between 91 and 130) on a regular basis, Ashby-Scabis says:
- Trains passing
- Motorcycles driving by
- Sirens
- Planes flying overhead
- Construction
These noises aren’t constant, of course, but they’re harsh enough to cause damage pretty quickly. That’s because “the decibel scale is logarithmic, meaning that every time we're going up by three decibels, the intensity is doubling,” Sarow says. “So the higher the decibel level, the more quickly the damage can occur.”
If you think you might run into an extra-loud thing (say, a subway platform, which can reach more than 100 decibels), consider wearing earplugs the second you step outside. Of course, you can’t plan for all interruptions. Here’s a quick way to save your ears in a pinch, per Sarow: If an ambulance is passing, or you walk by a jackhammer, press down on your tragus, which is the fleshy flap near your ear canal. It should muffle the noise at least a little bit, and “some protection is better than nothing,” she says.
6. Smoking
Some chemicals in your environment (say, pesticides or even compounds in paint) can be toxic to your ears, but tobacco smoke is a biggie, Ashby-Scabis says. Exposure alone to cigarettes can cause issues—it’s actually a major reason why pregnant people are advised not to be around it, as it may have the potential to damage a fetus’ auditory development.
Stopping the habit isn’t easy, but it’s one of the best things you can do for your hearing: It helps make the extra risk of hearing loss from smoking go down, according to research. (Here‘s advice on how to quit smoking for good, from longtime smokers.)
If all this has you concerned about your ears, don’t freak out just yet. You’re playing the long game. “Damage that happens early on can take years to catch up,” Ashby-Scabis says. “We walk around wearing headphones all the time, we’re talking to people on the phone [constantly]. We are often surrounded by noise.” Take action now so you can hear the good stuff for years (and years) to come.
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