(HealthDay News) -- Ears are very sensitive to loud noises, and too much noise or prolonged exposure to loud noise can damage your hearing.

Before you crank up the mp3 player, read these suggestions to prevent hearing loss, provided by the American Academy of Family Physicians:

* Wear protective ear coverings when working in a noisy area, such as around traffic or loud machinery.
* Wear earplugs when you know you'll be around loud noise for prolonged periods, especially when operating noisy tools and equipment.
* Use rubber mats under noisy electronics and appliances.

(HealthDay News) - Getting older leads to many changes involving your senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch.

Here are common ways that aging impacts the senses, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

* Parts of the ear begin to deteriorate as you get older, potentially affecting your hearing and balance.

SATURDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- About one in eight -- or about 5 million -- American youngsters have noise-induced hearing loss, something that's entirely preventable, says the American Academy of Audiology. The academy has launched a public education campaign, called Turn it to the Left, to boost awareness of the problem and explain how it can be prevented simply by turning down the volume of personal music players.