We are not telling you not to go out and enjoy music, we are just letting you know how to do it safely. At clubs and gigs there are ways to protect your hearing, including:

Stand or dance away from loudspeakers
Take regular breaks from the dance floor and use chill-out areas to give your ears a rest
Wear clubbers earplugs if you regularly go to clubs or gigs

Look After Your Ears

Find out more on the Don't Lose the Music website. Check out what celebrities have to say about listening to loud music. Are earplugs uncool? All the bands wear them!

Don't Lose the Music shows you ways to check if you are at risk and answers your frequently asked questions. You can play the Noise Invaders interactive game, enter a competition and vote to have your say about noise levels.

Remember, your ears do not get "used" to loud music - they just become more damaged and it is not temporary, it is permanent.

MP3 Players and Personal Stereos

If you use an MP3 player or other type of personal stereo just turn the volume down a notch. Even a small reduction in volume makes a big difference to the risk of damage to your hearing.

Avoid turning up the volume to drown out background noise. To drown out the background noise of a busy street or a train, you have to turn the volume up to dangerous levels.

Take regular breaks from your headphones.

Partying at Home?

If you enjoy playing loud music at home, think about your neighbours too.

Noise annoys - see our practical tips on reducing noise, available to download below.