I've had 5 surgeries to my right ear, 3 to my left. YES, I'm aware!! Though I drive with the window down, the music is rarely "bumping" loudly. I wear 32db rated ear plugs while shooting,and while mowing the lawn. I try and wear the noise-cancelling earphones on planes. My years on the ambulance probably didn't help much. According to my latest hearing test, I do have the beginnings of hearing loss in 1 ear (at 28 years old), but that's not totally unexpected (given my surgical history). I just do what I can to keep it to a minimum!