At some point, many adults realize they’re pressing the “volume up” button on the TV remote more often, or that a lot of people around them need to speak up. There are two common reasons that lead to hearing loss in people, which are:

Age. As you get older, the tiny hair cells in your inner ears slowly break down and can’t pick up sound vibrations as well as they used to.

Noise. A lot of loud sound over time can damage the hair cells in your ears.

The good news? There are things you can do to prevent noise-induced hearing loss and keep age-related hearing loss from getting worse. Here are eight tips to help keep your ears as sharp as possible.

Recommended Related to Healthy Seniors: 6 Low-Impact Exercises as You Age

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1. Avoid Too Much Noise

How loud is too loud? If you have to shout over the noise around you, it's loud enough to damage your hearing. For example, the sounds from motorcycles, concert speakers, power tools like saws and drills, and even earphones are all loud enough to hurt your hearing over time.

2. Be a Quiet Enforcer

Turn down the background noise level in your life by buying appliances and devices that have low noise ratings. If the noise is too loud in the gym, movie theatre, restaurant, or any other place you go often, ask the manager to turn it down.

3. Limit Loud Sounds in Your Life

Sometimes you can't avoid the blare of an ambulance siren or the jackhammer on your street corner. But it's best to limit the amount of time you're around them. Noise-induced hearing loss is a result of the loudness of sounds and how long you hear them.

4. Wear Hearing Protection

If you know you're going to be hearing loud sounds for more than a few minutes, think about wearing protection, such as:

Earplugs. Usually made of foam or rubber, earplugs go in your ear canal and can reduce noise by 15 to 30 decibels. You can buy them off-the-shelf or have them custom-made to fit you.

Some ear plugs are designed to reduce noise levels evenly across all frequencies. They’re useful for people who need to make sound quieter but undistorted, such as musicians.

Earmuffs. These fit completely over your ears and reduce sounds by about 15 to 30 decibels. Remember that your earmuffs must fit tightly over both ears to block sound.

You can also wear earplugs and earmuffs together for even greater protection.

5. Don't Smoke

Along with age and noise, research has shown that tobacco can increase a person's risk for hearing loss. If you smoke, preserving your hearing is one more good reason to quit. If you aren’t a smoker, avoid breathing secondhand smoke.

6. Remove Earwax Properly

A buildup of wax in your ears can muffle sound. But don't use a cotton swab to clean them out -- they can push wax even deeper into your ear canal. Instead, use an at-home irrigation kit to soften wax and gently wash it out. If wax gets compacted in your ear, your doctor may need to remove it.

7. Check Medications for Hearing Risks

About 200 medications can damage hearing, including some antibiotics and cancer-fighting drugs. Even high doses of aspirin can harm your ears. If you take a prescription medication, check with your doctor to make sure it won’t hurt your hearing. If you must take a medication that may harm your ears, make sure your doctor checks your hearing and balance before and during your treatment.

8. Have Your Hearing Tested

Make an appointment to get a hearing test if you:

  • Have close relatives with hearing loss
  • Have trouble hearing conversations
  • Are around loud noises on a regular basis
  • Often hear ringing in your ears

If you have some hearing loss, you can prevent more damage by steering clear of loud noises. If your problem is severe enough, you might think about getting a hearing aid or other treatment. Be sure to see your doctor if you have a sudden change in your hearing that you can’t explain. It could be a symptom of other serious medical problems.