Hearing Protection Protocol

Written by Bryan Johnson • 02.05.2026

I now wear hearing aids.

There’s a misconception that hearing aids are for old people. They’re actually really important for brain health. I started wearing them in October… but I should have started years ago when I discovered that I had mild to moderate hearing loss.

Hearing loss = higher dementia risk

Untreated hearing loss has real consequences for your health. It coincides with 30-40% faster brain shrinkage.

There’s an increased risk for:

social isolation
cognitive decline
dementia (up to 5x increased risk)
falls and accidents
decreased quality of life
depression

Less auditory input leads to less stimulation, so brain regions tied to sound and cognition atrophy from underuse. This “use it or lose it” effect is real.

And it doesn’t take much to damage your hearing.

Noise levels around 120 decibels (dB) can cause rapid and potentially permanent hearing damage. 120 dB is about the sound of a nearby emergency siren.

Loud noise can damage hair cells in your inner ear. Once those hair cells are gone, they’re gone. Cochlear implants help, but they don’t restore natural hearing.

There are currently no therapies to treat hearing loss. Regenerative medicine is years away from reliable use.

But there are plenty of things you can do to protect your hearing. And even if some damage is already done, you can mitigate the cognitive effects with augmentation (hearing aids). I do both.

My hearing results

The black dots (left and right) were from my previous test (~2022).

The red line (left) and black Xs (right) show my most recent results (Aug 2025).

Right ear: Some improvement in hearing thresholds compared to the last test (the red line sits above the old black dots at all frequencies).
Left ear: Slight decline. The black X’s (most recent) drop below the older marks.

Audiologists note this could be within the margin of error, but the broader takeaway is clear… my hearing has reached the point where hearing aids are recommended.

The likely causes are loud music and shooting guns without hearing protection as a child.

Now, my left ear is aged 64 and I have significant impairment in both ears.

How to protect your hearing

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to get custom-molded earplugs. Take them with you everywhere you go.

Modern society is way too loud, wrecking our hearing. Wear your hearing protection at social gatherings, restaurants, concerts, movies, etc. You will be surprised to learn how frequently you're exposed to environments that induce hearing loss.

If you want to build your intuition on how loud environments are, download the Decibel X app and start sampling situations.

Here’s my full hearing protection protocol: