How we hear
Sound travels a long way: from the outer ear through tiny bones to the sensitive cells of the inner ear. The basics are in the Topics section.
protect your hearing: a plain-language guide
Zdorovie Vsem: a “protect your hearing” guide
Your hearing never takes a day off: it wakes you in the morning, warns you of danger in the street and connects you with the people you love. We explain how the ear works, what harms it and which simple habits help keep your hearing for years to come.
Hearing damage rarely hurts while it is happening. That is why your hearing needs protecting in advance — by turning the volume down while nothing is bothering you yet.
Where to start
Headphones and volume
Safety depends not only on how loud you listen but also on how many hours a week you do it. The step-by-step plan is in Prevention.
Noise around you
Concerts, building work, the underground and motorbikes put as much strain on your ears as headphones do. How to protect them and take breaks is in Methods.
Hearing tests
You can have your hearing checked by an ENT doctor or an audiologist. A separate section suggests questions to ask at the appointment.
Guide sections
- Topics
Hearing topics by group: how the ear works, noise and headphones, children and hearing problems. Also home to the article catalogue.
- Prevention
How to listen to music on headphones and spend time in noisy places without losing your hearing: a clear step-by-step plan.
- Methods
How hearing is tested, how it is protected and how specialists help people with reduced hearing.
- Research
Where hearing data comes from, how to read news about “miracle cures” and which myths are worth forgetting.
- Questions
Questions about headphones, noise, children's hearing and hearing tests that are useful to ask your doctor.
- Glossary
Hearing words in plain language: from the eardrum and the decibel to audiometry.
- Sources
The materials this guide relies on, how we choose them and where the limits of the guide lie.
Check your habits in five steps
Count your headphone hours
Think about a typical day: commuting, work, exercise, the evening. Add up the time you have music, a podcast or a video playing in your ears, then multiply by the days of the week.
Look at the volume
Notice where the volume slider usually sits. If you keep it close to the maximum most of the time, especially on public transport, that is worth thinking about.
Ask the people around you
If fellow passengers or colleagues can hear your music, the sound in your ears is noticeably louder than it seems to you.
Remember your last concert
Were your ears ringing after a noisy night out, or did voices sound muffled? Feelings like these mean your ears have been under heavy strain.
Note when you were last tested
If you can't remember when your hearing was last checked, or you notice you ask people to repeat themselves more often, book an appointment and tell the doctor what you have noticed.
Frequently asked questions
Are you a clinic or a hearing centre?
No. This is an independent guide. We do not see patients, carry out tests, sell hearing aids or headphones, or refer people to particular specialists.
Can exercises restore hearing?
We do not promise that any exercises will restore hearing, and we suggest being wary of anyone who does. If your hearing has got worse, see an ENT doctor: only a doctor can decide what to do after an examination.
What volume is considered safe?
The WHO–ITU standard (2019) uses as a reference 80 dB(A) for 40 hours a week for adults and 75 dB(A) for the same time for children. The louder the sound, the shorter the safe time.
What should I do if I suddenly lose my hearing?
Don't wait for it to pass on its own, and don't try home remedies. Sudden hearing loss is a reason to see a doctor urgently. If someone's life is in danger, call 112 or 103 (or your local emergency number).
About the project
This domain used to host a website about alternative health methods, and later some unrelated spam pages appeared here. Their content has not been kept and is not reproduced; the current guide has no connection with them and does not promote the former site's methods. The name came to us with the domain.
Today Zdorovie Vsem is an independent guide to hearing. We explain in plain words how the ear works, drawing on WHO materials and physiology textbooks. There are no diagnoses, prescriptions or advertising here: for any complaint, we advise you to see a doctor.
Read next
- Topics
Hearing topics by group: how the ear works, noise and headphones, children and hearing problems. Also home to the article catalogue.
- Prevention
How to listen to music on headphones and spend time in noisy places without losing your hearing: a clear step-by-step plan.
- Research
Where hearing data comes from, how to read news about “miracle cures” and which myths are worth forgetting.
- Sources
The materials this guide relies on, how we choose them and where the limits of the guide lie.
Sources
- WHO — materials on safe listening and World Hearing Day
- WHO and ITU — Safe listening devices and systems standard (2019)
- Textbooks on the physiology of hearing
This guide summarises generally accepted information about hearing as of the date it was prepared. Recommendations from international organisations are updated from time to time, and decisions about your own hearing are made together with a doctor after an examination.