If it is loud enough and you are exposed long enough, hearing loss will result. Extremely loud noises, like gun shots, or even firecrackers or cap pistols, can cause immediate damage. To protect your hearing, turn down the volume on the stereo headphones, and wear ear protection when noise is unavoidable, whether from a power lawnmower or a rock concert. Some rock musicians are even wearing earplugs to protect themselves from their own music. Snugly fitted earplugs can provide from 15 to 30 decibels of noise protection, while snug-fitting earmuffs offer even more noise reduction.
Ordinary cotton is too porous to provide any protection.
It's important to realize you can be damaging your hearing without even knowing it, said Gates, because the loss is at first subtle. The high frequencies are lost first, so you may have difficulty hearing high-pitched voices. If you have such symptoms, have your ears checked. The problem may be no more serious than a wax plug or middle-ear infection. But in any case, don't take chances with loud noise, because the hearing loss it can cause is permanent.