A Johns Hopkins study sheds some light on how many Americans suffer from hearing loss.

If you're cranking up the volume to listen to ABC2 News, you may be the target of a new Johns Hopkins study that is really turning the volume up on hearing loss.

We headed out to Lynne Brick’s in Perry Hall, where most of the people sweating are also giving their ears a workout.

"I feel like my ears start to hurt after awhile, and I don't want to go deaf," said Kim Schaffer.

It all depends on the volume and how often you listen, but earphones are one reason why more people suffer from hearing loss.

A study out today by Johns Hopkins researcher Dr. Frank Lin sheds some light on how many Americans have to say "what's that?"

"One in five of all Americans over 12 has hearing loss. One in eight actually has hearing loss in both ears, which is actually very significant," said Dr. Lin.

Dr. Lin says the numbers far surpass previous estimates. He and his team looked at data from 7500 patients from 2001 until 2008.

You know you have hearing loss if you experience this.

"You begin having trouble communicating anytime you're in a situation with a lot of background noise, for example in a busy restaurant," said Dr. Lin.

Eric Ramey uses his ear buds everyday, but his phone gives him a warning message if the tunes get too loud.

"If I'm going to lift a weight that's new, heavier, all that stuff, then I'll turn it up louder so it gives me that extra pump," said Ramey.

But that extra pump, along with genetics and of course age, can lead to hearing loss. So you may want to train your legs to move fast without the motivation of loud music.

"If you were listening to it at the max volume for x amount of years, repeatedly everyday, you'd probably do a little bit of damage," said Ramey.

There's more reason to check your volume beyond the added frustration of people repeating their words. Dr. Lin says hearing loss is attributed to more serious problems, like the risk of dementia and physical function.