Tinnitus is an issue that affects between 10% and 20% of the U.S population, which is why you need to pay attention to every aspect of protecting your ears and healthy hearing. While visiting an audiologist as soon as the symptoms surface is a step in the right direction, prevention is always the best form of protection.

The big question, then, is whether tinnitus can be prevented. A deeper understanding of the condition should clarify everything.

What causes tinnitus?

Before understanding whether tinnitus can be prevented, it’s important to appreciate the source of your tinnitus. The problem is a symptom of an underlying health issue but is usually attributed to loud noise exposure.

The most common sources of tinnitus are:

  • Working in loud environments
  • Ear infections and perforated eardrums
  • Excessive earwax
  • Trauma
  • Reactions to medications

Meanwhile, tinnitus is closely linked to hearing loss. The condition doesn’t necessarily cause hearing loss, but the two issues will feed into each other, exacerbating the symptoms of both.

Tinnitus risk factors

Many people wrongly associate tinnitus with the elderly. In truth, it is a condition that affects millions of children and young adults too. It can become a problem for virtually anybody. Nonetheless, there are several potential risk factors that can increase the likelihood of developing tinnitus symptoms.

The following people are potentially more vulnerable than others:

  • People that work around loud noises
  • Men
  • Senior citizens
  • Smokers
  • Swimmers

The risk factors should not be considered an indication of whether you will experience tinnitus, but the correlations should not be overlooked. 

How to prevent tinnitus

In reality is that there is no way to completely rule out the threat of tinnitus. Regardless of the lifestyle you lead, there is always a possibility that tinnitus will surface. Moreover, there is no known cure for tinnitus – although a host of management techniques including medications, sound therapy, and noise-masking devices can be utilized to reduce the impact and frequency of the symptoms.

As far as prevention is concerned, avoiding the risk factors should give you the best hope of not experiencing tinnitus. The following tricks will go a long way to helping:

  • Understand the potential side effects of any medications prescribed for other health conditions, including those that do not see to be linked to your hearing.
  • Wear ear defense products when working in loud places including building sites, music studios and similarly noisy environments.
  • Treat any known hearing loss at the earliest possible stage by getting prescribed with the right hearing aids for your specific needs.
  • Reduce your alcohol consumption and try to stop smoking as both habits have been shown to increase the risks.
  • Manage your stress levels and attend to symptoms of anxiety or depression, which could encourage the onset of tinnitus symptoms.

A conscious effort to prevent tinnitus will serve you well. But if you do still experience signs of the problem, make sure that you visit an audiologist ASAP.