Ever been to a loud event and woken up with ringing in ears the next day? It normally passes after one or two days, but imagine the noise in your ears just didn’t stop. Imagine a world where silence sounds like a whistling tea kettle that you can't turn off, or a buzzing fly you can never get rid of.

Tinnitus, a ringing in ears or whistling sound not caused by any outside stimulus, affects 1/10 people in countries like the USA and Germany. It is one of the fastest growing disabilities in the developed world. Generally, it is caused by an overexposure to loud noises.

Definition of Tinnitus

Tinnitus is characterized by a ringing in your ears, or buzzing sound that is not caused by an external source. It often doesn't appear immediately, but after time when exposed to noise induced hearing loss.

Common Causes of Tinnitus

The most common cause of tinnitus is that prolonged exposure to loud noises, but there are other causes, such as:

• Earwax Buildup
• Medications
• Head or Neck Injury
• Stress
• Environmental Factors
• Aging

Cures for Tinnitus

Unfortunately, there are no cures for tinnitus. There are many remedies people try or recommend to varying effect, such as white noise CD’s, herbal concoctions, and if you’re Liam Gallagher, shouting over the top of it. However, a remedy is no cure, so if you do happen to get tinnitus, be prepared to live with it... It’s not going anywhere in a hurry.

How to Manage Tinnitus

Now you ask… if avoiding loud noise will save me from a lifetime of imaginary noise, does this mean I should stop going to loud events? Quit clubbing and sell my ten person festival tent on eBay? Give up my college football/ basketball/ lacrosse/ beer pong season ticket?

Well… the simple answer is… NO! There is no actual need to change your loud lifestyle. As is evidenced by inventions such as the seatbelt, sun cream, ski helmets and knee pads, we have always been brilliant at coming up with solutions that allow the pursuit of potentially debilitating activities. All you need to continue living life on your terms is a little hearing health awareness.

To both prevent and manage the symptoms of tinnitus, the solution is high-fidelity hearing protection. These are earplugs designed to protect your ears while still allowing you to enjoy the experience of your favorite loud environments.

So get some EARPEACE high fidelity hearing protection, say goodbye to ringing in ears, good night to the inexistent howling winds, and good riddance to the buzzing, and say TURN IT UP!