Tinnitus results from a wide range of conditions, including age, noise exposure, use of in-ear headphones, earwax buildup, infections, and even smoking or excessive drinking. Although these are some of the general causes, each results in a bending, breaking, or damaging of the fragile, tiny, hairlike organelles of the stereocilia in the inner ear. When the stereocilia are damaged, they can be a cause of hearing loss, but in the case of tinnitus, it is as if the sound receptor has been permanently “turned on.”

Though there is not an external source of sound causing the sensation of hearing, the brain is registering sound as if it existed. Tinnitus often occurs in conjunction with hearing loss, making it possible for a person to have limited ability to hear in the environment while also hearing a constant stream of sound that is not really there.

Many of the same preventative tactics are used for tinnitus as for hearing loss. Wearing hearing protection can protect the sensitive stereocilia from becoming bent or broken in the first place. Even a pair of disposable foam earplugs is better than nothing in a noisy environment. By lowering the effective decibel level of the space, you can protect the sensitivity of the inner ear from overexposure to noise. More advanced custom-fitted earplugs offer better protection and also enable you to carry on a conversation or engage in listening activity while attenuating the damaging sounds in other ranges.

If you work in a loud environment, take responsibility for hearing protection in order to ward off hearing loss as well as hearing loss. Limiting your exposure to noise is another approach to tinnitus prevention. In-ear headphones project sound directly to the eardrum, and they can be easily used at too loud a volume for too long an amount of time. This noise exposure from leisure use puts you at risk for not only hearing loss but tinnitus, as well.