Loud Music Through Headphones Causes Damage You Won't Notice for Years

The tricky thing about headphone-related hearing loss is that it's gradual and painless. You won't feel anything break. You'll just slowly start asking people to repeat themselves, or notice a faint ringing that never goes away. The safe limit is roughly 60% volume for no more than 60 minutes at a time — the so-called 60/60 rule. Noise-cancelling headphones help because you don't need to crank volume to overpower background noise. Treat your ears like you treat your eyes — the damage compounds silently.