Tinnitus is the sensation of hearing ringing or buzzing sounds in the absence of any such external stimuli. It affects 1 in 10 adults in America, and can affect anyone at any point in their lifetime. Tinnitus can affect a single ear or both ears with varying degrees of severity.
It is generally believed that tinnitus is a symptom of some underlying medical condition, such as hearing loss. Various triggers can contribute to tinnitus, and there are different ways you can help prevent tinnitus from becoming a nuisance in your life.
Tinnitus is often triggered due to exposure to loud noises for an extended period of time. You can avoid this by limiting your exposure to unsafe levels of noise, such as during sporting events or rock concerts. By wearing auditory protection, such as earplugs or ear muffs, you can also help keep your ears safe and prevent tinnitus.
It may come as a surprise that the World Health Organization (WHO) report that 1.1 billion young adults as well as teenagers are likely to develop hearing loss due to constant exposure to unsafe levels of noise. The young tend to favor loud music a lot more than older adults.
Be it the blaring speakers on their car radio or their personal audio devices, listening to music at unsafe volumes can contribute to hearing loss and tinnitus to a great degree. By simply lowering the volume to a comfortable level (less than 60% of maximum volume) and limiting listening time to one hour at a stretch, we can lower the chances of developing hearing loss as well as tinnitus.
Tinnitus can be caused even by a single night out at your favorite pub. Loud music at night clubs and pubs can be detrimental to your hearing. Think about limiting the time you spend at these noisy and crowded situations. Hearing loss is irreversible, so prevention is truly better because there IS no cure!