Is my hearing loss permanent?

Probably, and tomorrow turn the music down lower. You really can permanently injure your hearing, and you may not know it until years later, or it could be soon. Lower the music.

Hearing loss from loud noise is progressive, cumulative, and permanent. However, it should not be something that you notice after a session of listening to your ipod.

Do you have a noise in your ears - like a ringing sound? That is usually one of the signs of hearing damage from loud noise. It usually goes away after a few hours (although it has done a little bit of permanent damage - not enough to be able to tell until you do it over and over.)

If you are listening to your music loud enough that you get ringing, you are doing damage. (Same thing for when you go to a club, or in the car, etc.)

You have experienced a temporary threshold shift (TTS) in hearing which is often caused by exposure to loud noise. At this time your hearing will more than likely go back to normal; however these exposures over time are cumulative and will cause noise-induced hearing loss which is permanent. Noise-induced hearing loss is the only type of hearing loss that is preventable.

I would recommend listening to your music at much lower levels. If you prefer to listen at louder levels (which is not recommended) you must limit your exposure time and give your ears a break.

There is a great article for teens and person who love their music with recommendations on how loud is too loud and best practices at Healthy Hearing: http://www.healthyhearing.com/articles/18879-earbu...

For other sources on this topic please see the source list below - your ears need to be protected as you only get one set your entire life. Once your hearing is gone it is gone.