10 ways to protect your ears

The more prolonged your exposure to noise and the higher the volume, the greater your chance of hearing loss. If you notice hearing loss after exposure to loud noise, it will usually (but not always) improve in the following hours or days. Here are 10 ways to limit avoidable noise as much as possible.

1. Limit the time that you spend listening to noise for entertainment.
2. Reduce volume levels on stereos, TVs and MP3 players.
3. If you use an MP3, wear in-ear filters to cancel out background noise.
4. Wear properly installed earplugs or acoustic earmuffs whenever you cannot avoid exposure to loud noise, for example when mowing the lawn or using power tools; cotton wool and other homemade earplugs are ineffective.
5. When in a noisy environment, try to go elsewhere for regular short breaks.
6. Distance diminishes the decibel level that reaches the ear. Get as far away as possible from unavoidably loud sounds — don't sit or stand next to loudspeakers at a concert, for example.
7. If you are provided with acoustic earmuffs at work, use them.
8. Keep your car windows closed when driving on busy roads.
9. Reduce outside traffic and other noise in your home by, for example, hanging heavy curtains or planting trees or shrubs between you and the street.
10. Reduce your stress levels. It is often our emotional response to irritating noise that damages our general health. So, if noise is getting you down, go for a walk somewhere quieter, soak in a hot bath or learn to meditate the stress away.

• You have done everything you can to turn down the volume in your world, so you may feel entitled to a good night's sleep.
• But if your partner snores, your hearing could be endangered even as you rest. The noise of snoring can be louder than city traffic.
• Record your partner if you need to prove your point — and then persuade him or her to see the doctor in case there's a medical solution.
• If not, you could wear earplugs in bed — ask your pharmacist about special ones that combat low-frequency snoring sounds.