Week of Tinnitus

From February 5 to 9 2018 it’s the Week of Tinnitus. In this week a lot of organizations give extra attention to tinnitus. ENT doctors, earplug suppliers, charities, but also the music sector.

What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a sound that you hear, but isn’t actually there. The cilia are damaged and think they hear a sound and pass the signal to the brains. The result can be a high pitch, noise, humming, or a combination of all. You will hear it all the time, even when you want to go to sleep.

How do you get tinnitus?
You can get tinnitus in different ways, for example as a side effect from medications, stress or psychological problems. There are around 400 different causes for tinnitus, but the most important one is loud sounds. You aren’t exposed to loud sounds only at festivals or concerts. Maybe you work with machines that produce a lot of noise or your MP3 player is set too loud.

How can you treat it?
At the moment, there is no cure for tinnitus. You can get therapy to help you deal with it. But unfortunately, it will never disappear. All the more reason to avoid getting it as much as possible!

How can you prevent it?
If you want to avoid tinnitus, it’s best not to stand in loud noise for (too) long. You can damage your hearing in a few minutes. For example, music at concerts or festivals can be loud. That is why it is important to protect your ears with earplugs. If you still want to enjoy the music, get earplugs with a music filter. You enjoy the concert just as much, only without the ringing in your ears at the end of the evening.