As many music lovers will know, standing next to the speaker at a rock concert can seriously impact how well you hear for the next few hours.
But the extent of the damage that can be done with one outing, the range of noises that can damage your ears and how quickly someone's hearing becomes at risk without proper protection is pretty surprising.
Everything from heavy construction equipment and aircraft to dental drills and marching bands can damage your hearing, and just one exposure can cause a ringing in your ears - called tinnitus - or make you temporarily hard of hearing.
Regular exposure, on the other hand, could cause permanent damage leading to a more serious hearing problem.
A human's inner ear is made up of several parts, but one of the most vital is the cochlea - the spiral portion of your inner ear.
Your cochlea has two kinds of hair cells: inner hair cells and outer hair cells.
It is these hair cells that are damaged by prolonged exposure to loud noises.
While your hair cells may be small, they're vital to your ability to hear.
Outer ear hair cells are key to your ability to hear quiet sounds, like a whisper or the rustling of leaves.
Your inner ear hair cells send sound information to the brain and are a vital link between hearing a sound and understanding what it means.
According to research loud sounds - also called "high-intensity" sounds - do severe damage to both types of cells, while long-term exposure to lower-intensity sound wreaks havoc on the outer ear hair cells.
In short, both types of exposure to noise can severely impact your ability to hear.
You may think that you'll be able to skate through the occasional concert or marching band practice without damaging your hearing, but the amount of loud noise a human ear can safely face is surprisingly small.
For example being at a party with a band is only safe for about five hours a week, while a weekly evening in a blues bar can last just nine minutes before your inner ear is in danger.
Most surprisingly, you can spend time around a marching band for just four seconds a week before your hearing is at risk.
With so many wonderful experiences linked to inner ear damage, it's always a good idea to be protected and fortunately there are a range of excellent protective solutions, from ear plugs to over ear defenders that can help keep your hearing safe for years to come.