You might have a common reaction when you first notice that ringing in your ears: pretend everything’s ok. You go through your day the same as usual: you have a chat with friends, go shopping, and prepare lunch. While at the same time you try your hardest to ignore that ringing. Because there is one thing you feel certain of: your tinnitus will fade away by itself.
You start to worry, though, when after a few days the ringing and buzzing is unrelenting.
This situation happens to others as well. Tinnitus can be a tricky little condition, sometimes it will disappear by itself and sometimes, it will stay for a long time to come.
The Condition of Temporary Tinnitus
Around the globe, almost everyone has had a bout of tinnitus because it’s quite common. Tinnitus is a non-permanent condition, in most circumstances, and will ultimately vanish by itself. A rock concert is an excellent example: you go see Bruce Springsteen at your local stadium (it’s a good show) and when you get home, you realize that there is ringing in your ears.
Within a couple of days the kind of tinnitus connected to damage from loud noise will commonly fade away (and you chalk it up to the cost of seeing your favorite band play live).
Of course, it’s exactly this kind of noise injury that, over time, can cause hearing loss to move from temporary (or acute, as they say) to chronic. One concert too many and you may be waiting quite a while for your tinnitus to recede on its own.
sometimes, Tinnitus Doesn’t Just Disappear
If your tinnitus doesn’t diminish (with help or on its own) within the span of three months or so, the ailment is then classified chronic tinnitus (this does not, by the way, suggest that you should wait three months to talk to an expert about lingering ringing, buzzing, or thumping in your ears).
Around 5-15% of individuals globally have reported symptoms of chronic tinnitus. While there are some recognized close connections (such as loss of hearing, for example), the causes of tinnitus aren’t yet very well understood.
When the triggers of your tinnitus aren’t clear, it usually means that a fast “cure” will be evasive. There is a good possibility that your tinnitus won’t go away on its own if you have been hearing the ringing for more than three months. In those cases, there are treatment possibilities available (such as cognitive behavioral therapy or noise-canceling devices) that can help you control symptoms and protect your quality of life.
The Cause of Your Tinnitus is Significant
When you can establish the fundamental cause of your tinnitus, mitigating the condition suddenly becomes much simpler. For instance, if your tinnitus is created by a persistent, bacterial ear infection, treatment with an antibiotic will usually solve both issues, leading to a healthy ear and crystal-clear hearing.
Some causes of acute tinnitus could include:
- Chronic ear infections
- Damage to the eardrum (such as a perforated eardrum)
- Hearing loss (again, this is often associated with chronic tinnitus)
- Meniere’s disease (this is often associated with chronic tinnitus, as Meniere’s has no cure)
- A blockage in the ear or ear canal
So…Will The Ringing in My Ears Go Away?
In general, your tinnitus will recede on its own. But it becomes significantly more likely that you’re experiencing chronic tinnitus the longer these noises linger.
You believe that if you just forget it should vanish on its own. But there could come a point where your tinnitus starts to become distressing, where it’s tough to focus because the sound is too distracting. In those situations, wishful thinking may not be the extensive treatment plan you require.
Most of the time tinnitus is simply the body’s answer to loud noise that could be damaging over time and will recede by itself. Whether that’s chronic or acute tinnitus, well, we’ll only know over time.