You may have a typical reaction when you first hear that ringing in your ears: pretend everything’s good. You continue your regular habits: you have a chat with family, go shopping, and prepare lunch. In the meantime, you’re attempting to force that ringing in your ear to the back of your mind. Because there is one thing you feel certain of: your tinnitus will go away by itself.
You start to worry, though, when after a few days the buzzing and ringing is unrelenting.
This scenario happens to others as well. Tinnitus can be a tricky little affliction, at times it will go away by itself and sometimes, it will stick around for a long time to come.
The Condition of Temporary Tinnitus
Tinnitus is incredibly common around the world, virtually everybody’s had a bout every now and then. Tinnitus is a temporary condition, in most instances, and will ultimately vanish by itself. A rock concert is an excellent illustration: you go see Bruce Springsteen at your local stadium (it’s a good show) and when you go home, you notice that your ears are ringing.
Within a couple of days the kind of tinnitus associated with damage from loud noise will normally fade away (but you realize that it’s simply part of going to a loud show).
Naturally, it’s exactly this type of noise injury that, over time, can cause loss of hearing to move from temporary (or acute, as they say) to chronic. Too many of those kinds of concerts and you could end up with permanent tinnitus.
When Tinnitus Doesn’t Seem to be Disappearing by Itself
If your tinnitus lingers for over three months it’s then labeled as chronic tinnitus (but you should have it checked by an expert long before that).
Something like 5-15% of people around the world have reported symptoms of chronic tinnitus. The precise causes of tinnitus are still not very well known even though there are some known connections (such as loss of hearing).
Usually, a quick cure for tinnitus will be unidentifiable if the causes aren’t obvious. There is a good chance that your tinnitus won’t go away by itself if you have been hearing the ringing for over three months. In those situations, there are treatment options available (like cognitive behavioral therapy or noise-canceling devices) that can help you manage symptoms and protect your quality of life.
It’s Important to Know What The Cause of Your Tinnitus is
It becomes a lot simpler to mitigate the symptoms of tinnitus when you are able to determine the underlying causes. If a bacterial ear infection is, for example, the reason for your tinnitus, you can revive a healthy ear and clear hearing by treating it with antibiotics.
Some causes of acute tinnitus could consist of:
- Chronic ear infections
- Eardrum damage (such as a perforated eardrum)
- Meniere’s disease (this is often associated with chronic tinnitus, as Meniere’s has no cure)
- Hearing loss (again, this is often associated with chronic tinnitus)
- A blockage in the ear or ear canal
The Big Question…Will my Tinnitus Ever Subside?
Generally speaking, your tinnitus will go away by itself. But the longer it hangs around, the longer you hear tinnitus noises, the more likely it becomes that you’re dealing with chronic tinnitus.
You can persuade yourself that everything is fine and hope that the buzzing will just go away. But there could come a point where your tinnitus begins to become irritating, where it’s difficult to concentrate because the sound is too distracting. And in those situations, you may want a treatment plan 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 recede by itself. Only time will tell if your tinnitus is acute or chronic.