When loud noise damages hair cells within the inner ear it's called noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). Many tests can detect this damage to hair cells from noise, but there's another, hidden way loud sounds can damage hearing. Before loud noises damage hair cells, they can already have damaged the extremely sensitive nerve fibers inside the ear. This hearing damage is prevalent in young people, but isn't so easy to detect and is rarely tested. That's why it is called hidden hearing loss.

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