Forty-one years of railroading plus a few bird hunts without hearing protection has resulted in my having severe tinnitus. Not so bad that I can't sleep, but constant ringing, nonetheless.

I don't bird hunt anymore (just don't enjoy it like I used to), and I always wear hearing protection when shooting handguns, shotguns, or rifles.

But to answer the OP's question, I don't keep hearing protection by the bed. If someone breaks into my house, I want to be able to locate them. My bedside gun is normally a Glock Model 32 in .357 Sig, with a Surefire X200B Weaponlight. But, I have also kept my S&W Model 686 Plus and my Colt Government models in that role. Any of these weapons will cause hearing problems, if discharged indoors without hearing protection. While I think I wake up pretty quickly, I don't want to test that theory at the wrong time.

As one poster said, the odds favor a self-defense situation NOT happening, but I'm ready if it does.

By the way, I live WAY out in the country. To paraphrase Hank Williams Jr., "I live back in the woods, you see. No woman, No kids, No dog, Just ME."