You may have a typical reaction when you first notice that ringing in your ears: pretend that it’s no big deal. You go through your day the same way you always do: you have a chat with friends, go to the store, and prepare lunch. All the while, you’re trying to push that ringing in your ear out of your mind. Because you feel sure of one thing: your tinnitus will fade away naturally.
After several more days of unrelenting ringing and buzzing, though, you start to have doubts.
You aren’t the only one to ever find yourself in this position. At times tinnitus will go away on its own, and at other times it will linger on and that’s why it’s a tricky little condition.
The Condition of Temporary Tinnitus
Tinnitus is very common around the world, nearly everybody’s had a bout here and there. In almost all situations, tinnitus is essentially temporary and will eventually go away on its own. The most prevalent example is the rock concert: 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.
The type of tinnitus that is linked to temporary damage from loud noise will often diminish within a few days (and you chalk it up to the cost of seeing your favorite band play live).
After a while loss of hearing can develop from temporary or “acute” to permanent or “chronic” because of this exact kind of injury. Too many of those types of concerts and you may end up with permanent tinnitus.
When Tinnitus Doesn’t Seem to be Going Away on its own
If your tinnitus doesn’t subside (with help or on its own) within the period of three months or so, the ailment is then categorized as chronic tinnitus (this does not, by the way, imply that you should wait that long to speak to a specialist about lingering thumping, buzzing, or ringing in your ears).
Around 5-15% of individuals around the world have documented signs of chronic tinnitus. The precise causes of tinnitus are still not well known although there are some known connections (such as loss of hearing).
When the triggers of your tinnitus aren’t obvious, it usually means that a quick “cure” will be evasive. If your ears have been ringing for over three months and there’s no recognizable cause, there’s a strong chance that the sound will not recede by itself. But if this is your circumstance, you can protect your quality of life and manage your symptoms with some treatment possibilities (such as noise canceling devices and cognitive behavioral therapy).
It’s Relevant to Know What The Cause of Your Tinnitus is
It becomes much easier to mitigate the symptoms of tinnitus when you are able to identify the root causes. As an example, if your tinnitus is created by a persistent, bacterial ear infection, treatment with an antibiotic will usually solve both problems, bringing about a healthy ear and clear hearing.
Here are some possible causes of acute tinnitus:
- Eardrum damage (such as a perforated eardrum)
- Loss of hearing (again, this is often associated with chronic tinnitus)
- Chronic ear infections
- A blockage in the ear or ear canal
- Meniere’s disease (this usually has no cure and is often associated with chronic tinnitus)
So…Will The Noises in My Ears Stop?
Generally speaking, your tinnitus will recede by itself. But the longer it hangs around, the longer you hear tinnitus noises, the more likely it becomes that you’re coping with chronic tinnitus.
You think that if you just forget it should go away on its own. But at some point, your tinnitus could become distressing and it may become difficult to focus on anything else. And in those cases, you may want a treatment plan more thorough than crossing your fingers.
The majority of the time tinnitus is simply the body’s reaction to loud noise that could be damaging over time and will go away on its own. Whether that’s acute or chronic tinnitus, well, we’ll only know over time.