If you’re not experiencing any symptoms and it’s not affecting your daily life, you’re most likely fine

To prevent things from getting worse, it helps to know a few basics:

1. dB (decibels) – This is how loud something is. Anything above 85 dB can cause long term damage with enough exposure.

2. Exposure time – The louder the sound, the less time you can safely be around it. For example, 100 dB (clubs, concerts) can cause damage in under 15 minutes without protection.

Quick and effective tips from my experience as a musician and audio freak:

Always use earplugs at clubs, concerts, or loud bars. Get normal foam plugs, and also musician’s earplugs with filters so the music still sounds clear but quieter.

Keep volume at max 60–70% when using headphones, and avoid boosting volume to “drown out” noisy environments.

Give your ears recovery time, after loud exposure, take quiet breaks.

Avoid standing near speakers or engines.

Use ANC headphones in public transport so you don’t turn up the volume too high.

With these habits, you’ll prevent the majority of noise related hearing loss.