You may have a typical reaction when you first hear that ringing in your ears: pretend that it’s no big thing. You go about your normal routines: you have a chat with friends, go to the store, and cook lunch. In the meantime, you’re attempting to push that ringing in your ear out of your mind. Because you feel sure of one fact: your tinnitus will fade away naturally.
You begin to worry, however, when after a few days the buzzing and ringing is unrelenting.
This situation happens to others as well. sometimes tinnitus stop by itself, and at other times it will stick around and that’s the reason why it’s a challenging little disorder.
When Tinnitus is Likely to Subside on Its Own
Tinnitus is incredibly common around the world, almost everybody’s had a bout here and there. In nearly all circumstances, tinnitus is basically temporary and will eventually vanish by itself. A rock concert is a good example: you go see Bruce Springsteen at your local stadium (it’s a good show) and when you go 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 normally fade away (but you accept that it’s simply part of going to a loud concert).
Of course, it’s precisely this kind of noise injury that, over time, can cause loss of hearing to go from temporary (or acute, as they say) to chronic. One concert too many and you might be waiting quite a while for your tinnitus to subside by itself.
Often Times, Tinnitus Doesn’t Just go Away
If your tinnitus doesn’t diminish (with help or on its own) within the span of three months or so, the condition is then categorized as chronic tinnitus (this does not, however, imply that you should wait three months to talk to an expert about lingering ringing, buzzing, or thumping in your ears).
Something like 5-15% of people globally have reported indications of chronic tinnitus. The precise causes of tinnitus are still not very well known even though there are some known associations (like loss of hearing).
Normally, a fast cure for tinnitus will be unidentifiable if the triggers aren’t apparent. There is a strong possibility that your tinnitus won’t go away on its own if you have been hearing the ringing for over three months. In those situations, there are treatment possibilities available (like cognitive behavioral therapy or noise-canceling devices) that can help you manage symptoms and preserve your quality of life.
It’s Important to Know What The Cause of Your Tinnitus is
When you can determine the underlying cause of your tinnitus, mitigating the condition suddenly becomes much easier. As an example, if your tinnitus is produced by a stubborn, bacterial ear infection, treatment with an antibiotic will tend to solve both problems, bringing about a healthy ear and clear hearing.
Some causes of acute tinnitus might include:
- Hearing loss (again, this is often associated with chronic tinnitus)
- Meniere’s disease (this usually has no cure and is often associated with chronic tinnitus)
- Eardrum damage (such as a perforated eardrum)
- Chronic ear infections
- A blockage in the ear or ear canal
So…Will The Noises in My Ears Subside?
Generally speaking, your tinnitus will recede by itself. But it becomes significantly more likely that you’re coping with chronic tinnitus the longer these tinnitus sounds remain.
You can convince yourself there’s nothing wrong and hope that the ringing will just stop. But eventually, your tinnitus might become unpleasant and it might become tough to focus on anything else. In those circumstances, crossing your fingers may not be the complete treatment plan you need.
In most instances, however, in fact, throughout most of your life, your tinnitus will usually go away by itself, a normal response to a noisy environment (and your body’s means of telling you to stay away from that situation in the future). Whether that’s acute or chronic tinnitus, well, only time will tell.