How exactly can too loud sounds make you deaf?

Answer

Loud noises can damage your ear in two ways: mechanically (shattering vibrations) and through overstimulation (too long and too much sound).

The hairs you are talking about are the specialized nerve cells that transmit the vibrations as sound. Those cells are directly damaged by too loud noise and you will have less of them left by too loud noises. The damage to those cells with hairs is partly due to the release of toxic substances. The cells that disappear with loud noises are mainly the cells responsible for sounds with a high frequency (4000Hz) that can therefore be heard less well.

If you are exposed to sounds above 85 dB for a long time, you can already suffer hearing damage. The louder the sound, the shorter the time your ear will be able to withstand (90dB about 8 hours, 95dB: 4 hours, 100dB: 2 hours). A short bang (120-155 dB) can also cause permanent hearing damage.

Kind regards,