Hearing loss is often associated with getting older. However, that’s not always the case. Whatever your age, hearing loss can happen for various reasons, including exposing your eardrums to loud music from headphones or attending loud concerts or nightclubs.

According to the World Health Organization, more than one billion teens and young adults are at risk for hearing loss.

One billion isn’t a number to be taken lightly.

WHO studied a group of 12 to 35-year-olds and discovered that

50 percent of the group listened to unsafe sound levels on their portable listening devices, while 40 percent exposed themselves to damaging noise levels at bars, nightclubs and concerts.

Unfortunately, if you don’t take care of your hearing early on, there’s no way to get it back down the road. Hearing loss differs from vision loss simply because there are ways to correct minor eyesight issues, including Lasik eye surgery or contacts.

The only way to regain hearing is to wear a hearing aid, which doesn’t cure hearing loss.

According to the UN Health Agency Worldwide, 360 million people already suffer some level of hearing loss. However, not all of it is related to loud music. Other factors include birth defects, genetics and infections.

I was born with slight hearing loss in my right ear. Granted, it’s not something that gets in the way of my day-to-day life, but it does present some challenges, like wearing a hearing aid.

Which is why I urge everyone to take care of their hearing. While I can’t do much to reverse my hearing loss, I do take measures to avoid exposing myself to loud noises so as not to further the damage.

There are various ways to protect your ears, especially from loud music, which include turning the volume down on your listening device, wearing ear plugs when attending concerts and taking breaks while listening to music through your earphones, CNN reported.

While these tips take effort, when it comes to protecting your hearing, it’s worth it.