Listen Up! Loud Noises Damage Hearing.

Health care professional examining patient's ear

There is no cure for hearing loss! Damaged inner ear cells (stereocilia) do not grow back. Protect your hearing by avoiding loud noise such as concerts and sporting events. Use earplugs or noise-cancelling earmuffs to protect your ears. If you already have hearing loss, take steps to keep it from getting worse. Get your hearing checked.

CDC supports Better Hearing and Speech Month (BHSM), founded in 1927 by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). It is an annual event each May to provide an opportunity to raise awareness about hearing and speech problems. We encourage people to think about their own hearing, at this time, and to get their hearing checked if they think there might be a problem.

Early identification and intervention for hearing loss is important. Many people live with unidentified hearing loss, often failing to realize that they are missing certain sounds and words. Checking one’s hearing would be the first step towards addressing the issue.