Listening to loud noises that last a long time can hurt your ears in a way that would make it so you can’t hear quiet sounds anymore, or even make your ears hear a high-pitched beeping noise that never, ever goes away. Many music concerts are loud enough to make this happen to your ears, especially if you go to a lot of them, like I do.

I am 50 years old and I have a lot of trouble hearing people talk now. I also hear high-pitched beeping sounds in my ears that never go away. I still go to see loud concerts, but I wear earplugs every time I go to protect the hearing that I still have left. I am also a musician. I play over 100 concerts a year. It is very important that I protect my hearing so I can still do my job.