When you first hear that ringing in your ears you could have a very typical response: pretend that it’s no big thing. You go through your day the same way you always do: you do your shopping, you make dinner, you attempt to have a discussion with your partner. All the while, you’re attempting to force that ringing in your ear out of your mind. Because there is one thing you feel certain of: your tinnitus will go away by itself.
After several more days of unremitting ringing and buzzing, though, you begin to have doubts.
You aren’t the only person to ever be in this scenario. sometimes tinnitus stop on its own, and at other times it will stick around and that’s why it’s a tricky little condition.
When Tinnitus is Likely to Disappear by Itself
Tinnitus is very common around the world, nearly everyone’s had a bout every now and then. In nearly all situations, tinnitus is basically temporary and will ultimately vanish by itself. The most typical example is the rock concert: you go to your local stadium to see your favorite band and you notice, when you get back home, that there is a ringing in your ears.
The kind of tinnitus that is linked to temporary injury from loud noise will normally decrease within a couple of days (but you accept that it’s just part of going to a loud concert).
Naturally, it’s precisely this kind of noise injury that, over time, can cause loss of hearing to move from temporary (or acute, as they say) to chronic. One concert too many and you could be waiting quite a while for your tinnitus to subside by itself.
When Tinnitus Doesn’t Seem to be Going Away by Itself
If your tinnitus lingers for over three months it’s then classified as chronic tinnitus (but you should have it examined by an expert long before that).
Something like 5-15% of individuals globally have reported symptoms of chronic tinnitus. While there are some understood close connections (such as loss of hearing, for instance), the causes of tinnitus aren’t yet very well comprehended.
When the causes of your tinnitus aren’t obvious, it usually means that a fast “cure” will be unidentifiable. If your ears have been ringing for more than three months and there’s no discernible cause, there’s a strong possibility that the sound will not recede on its own. In those situations, there are treatment options available (such as cognitive behavioral therapy or noise-canceling devices) that can help you control symptoms and preserve your quality of life.
The Reason For Your Tinnitus is Significant
When you can establish the underlying cause of your tinnitus, dealing with the condition quickly becomes a lot simpler. For instance, if your tinnitus is created by a stubborn, bacterial ear infection, treatment with an antibiotic will tend to solve both issues, leading to a healthy ear and clear hearing.
Some causes of acute tinnitus could include:
- A blockage in the ear or ear canal
- Meniere’s disease (this is often associated with chronic tinnitus, as Meniere’s has no cure)
- Damage to the eardrum (such as a perforated eardrum)
- Chronic ear infections
- Hearing loss (again, this is often associated with chronic tinnitus)
So…Will The Noises in My Ears Stop?
In general, your tinnitus will recede on its own. But it becomes progressively more likely that you’re coping with chronic tinnitus the longer these tinnitus sounds linger.
You can convince yourself there’s nothing wrong and hope that the ringing will simply stop. But sooner or later, your tinnitus may become distressing and it might become tough to concentrate on anything else. And in those instances, you might want a treatment strategy more thorough than crossing your fingers.
Most of the time tinnitus is just the body’s response to loud noise that could be damaging over time and will subside on its own. Whether that’s acute or chronic tinnitus, well, only time will tell.