Does Tinnitus Go Away?

Have you ever experienced ringing in your ears before? If the answer is yes, you can easily imagine how awkward and annoying the sensation can be. The first time it happens, you probably try to ignore the buzzing sound coming from deep inside your ear canal and carry on with the rest of your day. Trouble starts when you cannot ignore the noises in your head any longer despite your best effort.

This is the point when you begin an internal dialogue, trying to convince yourself that there is no cause for concern. After all, tinnitus does not stay forever and usually goes away on its own. But as days go by and the loud noises, buzzing sounds relentlessly stick around, you begin to worry and doubt that the ringing will ever stop.

How common is tinnitus?

Whether you are currently going through something similar or suffer from tinnitus off and on, know that you are not alone. According to the American Academy of Audiology¹, approximately 30 million Americans suffer from the condition. Newer statistics published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over 50 million people suffer from some form of tinnitus in the United States. Although, in general, tinnitus is more prevalent among people with hearing loss, at least 13 million people report having the condition without any hearing impairment².

When does tinnitus go away on its own?

While tinnitus can sometimes linger around for a long time, it resolves on its own most of the time. In fact, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the condition is merely a temporary phenomenon and goes away by itself. One such example is noise-induced hearing loss. Let's say you attend a concert, and after leaving, you realize that your ear is ringing. This type of ringing in the ear is due to temporary damage caused by the loud noise and is likely to subside over a few days.

However, don't think that exposing your hearing to extreme noise levels will have no negative consequences. On the contrary, noise-induced hearing loss can become chronic over time.

When does tinnitus linger?

It can be very troubling when your tinnitus lingers for weeks and months at a time. If your tinnitus lasts longer than three months, your doctor will classify it as chronic. Although having constant ringing and buzzing in your ears is very annoying, the noise is usually mild enough, and people can learn to live with it.

However, in other cases, the noise is so loud that living with the condition takes a severe toll on the person's quality of life. The sounds can be so debilitating that the sufferers live under constant stress, lose the ability to concentrate or even sleep. Regardless of how long you have had tinnitus, you should never wait for months to seek out help from a hearing specialist to resolve the sounds in your ears.

What causes tinnitus?

How to make tinnitus go away?

Without knowing the cause of your tinnitus symptoms, finding the most appropriate treatment is a difficult task. Once you know what you are dealing with, alleviating the condition becomes much easier. Depending on the reason, you have different treatment options. Some people find relief with cognitive behavioral therapy, noise-canceling devices, or hearing aids. These options can help manage symptoms and maintain your quality of life.

If the root of your problems is otosclerosis, surgery may be the best option to return to hearing normal. Despite the high success rate, many patients decide against surgery, but most will use hearing aids. Suppose your symptoms are a result of a painful ear infection. In that case, your doctor may prescribe treatment with an antibiotic to solve both problems.

When will the ringing in my ear go away?

It is difficult to say when the ringing will stop in your specific case4. Thankfully, in the overwhelming majority of cases, your tinnitus symptoms will go away on their own. But the longer the problem lingers, the more likely it is that you're dealing with a chronic issue. Even in this scenario, the ringing may suddenly stop without treatment, although it is less likely to happen this way. In any case, it is best to get your ears checked, especially if the sound and noise in your ear become too disrupting.

Citations

¹ American Academy of Audiology Tinnitus - American Academy of Audiology
² American Tinnitus AssociationTinnitus an Unacknowledged, Underfunded Public Health Crisis | American Tinnitus Association (ata.org)
³ Causes | American Tinnitus Association (ata.org) 
⁴ Will My Tinnitus Go Away? | American Tinnitus Association (ata.org)
⁵  Global Prevalence and Incidence of Tinnitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Global Prevalence and Incidence of Tinnitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis - PubMed (nih.gov) 
⁶ The Lancet – Regional Health – Europe - Tinnitus prevalence in Europe: a multi-country cross-sectional population study Tinnitus prevalence in Europe: a multi-country cross-sectional population study - The Lancet Regional Health – Europe