Who is at Risk for Developing Tinnitus?

You might be worried about the state of your hearing. Tinnitus is becoming a common issue with everyone being impacted, rather than just the old. Indeed, it’s not unknown these days for tinnitus to be a problem in a teenage population. It’s worth then exploring who is at risk of developing this condition and how you can avoid the dangers. You might be surprised to learn just how many risks there actually are and how exposed you could be to the danger here.

Anyone exposed to over 80 decibels

Are you worried that you might be at risk of developing an issue with your hearing and potentially experience tinnitus? Typically, if you notice the signs of tinnitus, it will be due to an exposure to a noise of over eighty decibels. This could be a noise that you are repeatedly exposed to or something that you are only exposed to once. It will depend on the level of a noise. The louder the noise is, the more at risk you will be from even a single exposure. This could be the case if you stand next to a jet engine with no hearing protection at all. That’s why, typically airports will ensure that all staff working on the runway do have protective ear muffs.

Exposure in your professional life

You might find that you are exposed to a noise that causes an issue like this in your professional life. There are plenty of work environments where this can be a factor. For instance, you might be working on a construction site. Construction sites are filled with machinery that is loud enough to cause damage to your hearing and result in tinnitus developing.

Exposure in your personal life

It’s also possible that you are at risk due to your personal lifestyle. This could be because you love listening to live music. Live music festivals often have speaker systems that are capable of emitting well over the recommended sound levels. Other instances could include your morning commute with trains also making enough noise to potentially put you at risk. Or perhaps a personal music device where the volume is set at a level that is simply far too high.

Are these individuals always at risk?

This will largely depend on whether any protection methods are using to keep the ears safe from damage. This can include ear muffs, ear plugs or even customized devices that fill the entire ear to make sure that no sound can seep through at all. Each of these options provides different advantages and comes with varying price tags. You’ll have to consider which one is right for you based on your individual needs.

Typically, ear muffs will be used in an environment where you want to block the sound completely such as a work environment. In this case, workers will typically use hand signals. In contrast, individuals listening to live music are more likely to use earplugs as this doesn’t block the sound but rather takes the weight off. This makes it far less dangerous, even with repeat exposure.