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 as usual: you have a chat with friends, go to the store, and cook lunch. While at the same time you try your hardest to ignore that ringing. Because you’re convinced of one thing: your tinnitus will fade away on its own.
You begin to get concerned, however, when after a couple of days the buzzing and ringing is unrelenting.
You aren’t the only one to ever be in this position. Tinnitus can be a challenging little affliction, sometimes it will recede on its own and in some cases, it will stick around for a longer period of time.
When Tinnitus is Likely to Vanish by Itself
Around the world, almost everybody has had a bout of tinnitus because it’s very common. Tinnitus is a non-permanent condition, in most situations, and will ultimately recede by itself. A rock concert is an excellent example: you go to your local arena to see your favorite band and you discover, when you get home, that there is a ringing in your ears.
The type of tinnitus that is associated with temporary damage from loud noise will normally subside within a couple of days (and you chalk it up to the cost of seeing your favorite band play live).
Of course, 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. Too many of those kinds of concerts and you might wind up with permanent tinnitus.
When Tinnitus Doesn’t Seem to be Going Away on its own
If your tinnitus continues for over three months it’s then identified as chronic tinnitus (but you should have it checked by an expert long before that).
Around 5-15% of individuals around the world have documented indications 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 understood.
When the causes of your tinnitus aren’t clear, it often means that a quick “cure” will be evasive. If your ears have been buzzing for over three months and there’s no discernible cause, there’s a strong possibility that the sound will not recede by itself. But if this is your situation, you can preserve your quality of life and deal with your symptoms with some treatment possibilities (such as noise canceling devices and cognitive behavioral therapy).
The Cause of Your Tinnitus is Relevant
When you can establish the root cause of your tinnitus, dealing with the condition quickly becomes much easier. For instance, if your tinnitus is produced by a persistent, bacterial ear infection, treatment with an antibiotic will usually solve both problems, bringing about a healthy ear and crystal-clear hearing.
Here are some likely causes of acute tinnitus:
- Meniere’s disease (this is often associated with chronic tinnitus, as Meniere’s has no cure)
- Chronic ear infections
- Eardrum damage (such as a perforated eardrum)
- Loss of hearing (again, this is often associated with chronic tinnitus)
- A blockage in the ear or ear canal
The Big Question…Will my Tinnitus Ever go Away?
In general, your tinnitus will recede on its own. 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 there’s nothing wrong and hope that the noises will just go away. But there may come a point where your tinnitus starts to become irritating, where it’s difficult to focus because the sound is too disruptive. And in those instances, you may want a treatment plan more thorough than crossing your fingers.
The majority of the time tinnitus is simply the body’s answer to loud noise that could be damaging over time and will subside by itself. Only time will tell if your tinnitus is acute or chronic.
