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It鈥檚 not just lawn mowers and leaf blowers that can impact your hearing. Find out about ordinary sounds that are louder than you think and how you can reduce your risk of hearing loss.

If you haven鈥檛 heard the stats, now may be a good time: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the United States between the ages of 20 and 69 have permanent hearing loss due to excessive noise exposure.

Noise-induced hearing loss, or NIHL, occurs when loud noises cause damage to the sensitive inner ear. Sounds that are louder than 85 decibels can contribute to NIHL 鈥� and might surprise you. Here are just a few.

1. A night at the movies

Watching the latest action flick could leave your ears a bit shell-shocked. Noise levels at a movie theater clock in between 74 and 104 decibels.

2. Hitting the road on a chopper

Registering between 80 and 100 decibels, the classic vroom vroom of a motorcycle engine can damage your hearing.

3. Maxing out your headphones

The World Health Organization estimates that of all people between 12 and 35 years old might be exposed to unsafe levels of sound from their headphones or personal audio devices. That鈥檚 because at full volume, they can deliver sounds at the 94 to 110 decibel level.

4. Catching a game at the stadium

Noise levels at sports events can hit it out of the park at anywhere from 94 to 110 decibels.

5. Going to a live concert

Not surprisingly, concerts are pretty noisy, with sounds ranging from 94 to 110 decibels.

6. Hearing the shrill of a siren

There鈥檚 a reason you want to plug your ears when you hear sirens: They can produce sounds between 110 and 129 decibels.

7. Going to a fireworks display

It鈥檚 not just the visuals that make fireworks spectacular 鈥� the noise they produce can reach 140 to 160 decibels.

How do I know if I have NIHL?

NIHL can occur in one or both ears, and its effects can be subtle at first. You may have difficulty hearing someone when you鈥檙e in a loud room or need to raise the TV volume higher than usual. Sounds may be muffled or distorted.

鈥淲e typically experience NIHL as a feeling of fullness in our ears, along with tinnitus, or ringing,鈥� says John S. Oghalai, MD, an otolaryngologist with the 喵咪社区 Caruso Department of Otolaryngology 鈥� Head and Neck Surgery, part of 喵咪社区. 鈥淲hile some of these symptoms may disappear over the next day or two, some permanent damage can remain.鈥�

Reducing your risk for hearing loss

The good news is that NIHL is the only type of hearing loss that鈥檚 preventable. Two key factors in NIHL involve the you鈥檙e exposed to a sound and how far you are from its source. Whenever possible, try to stay away from sources of loud noise, and when you can鈥檛, wear earplugs or other hearing protective devices.

But even if the damage has been done, you have options.

鈥淣oise-induced hearing loss can be treated before permanent damage occurs, and if it already has occurred, certain cells and neurons in your ears may be able to be repaired,鈥� Oghalai adds. 鈥淎nd with recent advances in digital technology, hearing aids can now be custom fit and programmed so that they work quite effectively for most people.鈥�

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