But you have to be aware of all the sound in your life, explained Andrew Vermiglio, an audiologist with the House Research Institute, a nonprofit organization that studies and promotes hearing protection safety. “It’s not just MP3 players. Sitting on a lawn mower or a noisy train. Going to a concert. All of these things can add up.”

Because it can be hard to judge how loud your listening level is, Dr. Fligor suggests setting your player to a comfortable listening level at home and not raising it to overcome background noise once you get outside.

–Michael Hsu