(HealthDay News) -- Repeated exposure to loud noise can permanently damage your hearing.

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions to help reduce your risk of hearing loss:

• Stay away from loud noise whenever possible.
• Wear hearing protection -- such as ear plugs -- while at work at a noisy job, or while at a concert.
• Use sound-absorbing items, such as rubber mats under noisy kitchen appliances.
• Keep the volume down on the TV or radio.
• Avoid using noise to drown out other noise, such as blasting the TV so it's louder than the vacuum cleaner.
• Get your hearing checked regularly.