October is National Protect Your Hearing Month. That seems like a good time to remind everyone that exposure to loud noise is the leading cause of hearing loss. It’s also one of the few causes that people can actually do something about.

Today, more than ever, we have access to the knowledge and resources needed to protect our hearing.

• We know what decibel levels can cause damage
• We know how long we can be exposed before damage might take place
• We have ways to measure decibel levels in real time
• And we have a myriad of hearing protection solutions to choose from, including simple ear plugs

So protect your hearing, and help proactively prevent the biggest cause of hearing loss. And, as soon as some scientist invents a “backward aging” machine, we can begin to prevent hearing loss’s second leading cause. 

This blog originally appeared on www.starkey.com.