You could have a typical reaction when you first hear that ringing in your ears: pretend that it’s no big thing. You go through your day the same as usual: you have a chat with family, go shopping, and cook lunch. While you simultaneously try your best to dismiss that ringing. Because there is one thing you feel certain about: your tinnitus will fade away by itself.

After several more days of unremitting ringing and buzzing, though, you begin to have doubts.

You’re not the only one to ever find yourself in this scenario. At times tinnitus stop on its own, and other times it will linger on and that’s why it’s a challenging little disorder.

When Tinnitus is Likely to Go Away by Itself

Around the world, nearly everyone has had a bout of tinnitus because it’s quite common. In virtually all circumstances, tinnitus is essentially temporary and will ultimately go away on its own. The most typical example is the rock concert: you go to your local stadium to see your favorite band and you discover, when you get back home, that there is a ringing in your ears.

The type of tinnitus that is associated with temporary damage from loud noise will often decrease within a few days (and you chalk it up to the price of seeing your favorite band on stage).

After a while loss of hearing can develop from temporary or “acute” to permanent or “chronic” because of this exact type of injury. Too many of those kinds of concerts and you might end 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 referred to as chronic tinnitus (but you should get it checked by a specialist long before that).

Something like 5-15% of people around the world have reported symptoms of chronic tinnitus. While there are some known close connections (such as hearing loss, as an example), the causes of tinnitus aren’t yet well comprehended.

Normally, a fast cure for tinnitus will be evasive if the causes aren’t obvious. If your ears have been buzzing for more than three months and there’s no recognizable cause, there’s a strong chance that the sound will not go away on its own. But if this is your situation, you can preserve your quality of life and manage your symptoms with some treatment options (like noise canceling devices and cognitive behavioral therapy).

It’s Relevant to Know What The Cause of Your Tinnitus is

When you can identify the root cause of your tinnitus, mitigating the condition quickly 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, bringing about a healthy ear and crystal-clear hearing.

Here are some possible causes of acute tinnitus:

• Loss of hearing (again, this is often associated with chronic tinnitus)
• Damage to the eardrum (such as a perforated eardrum)
• Meniere’s disease (this usually has no cure and is often associated with chronic tinnitus)
• Chronic ear infections
• A blockage in the ear or ear canal

So…Will The Noises in My Ears Subside?

Generally speaking, your tinnitus will subside by itself. But it becomes increasingly more likely that you’re coping with chronic tinnitus the longer these tinnitus sounds last.

You believe that if you simply disregard it should vanish by itself. But eventually, your tinnitus might become distressing and it may become hard to concentrate on anything else. In those circumstances, crossing your fingers may not be the comprehensive treatment plan you need.

In most instances, though, as a matter of fact, throughout most of your life, your tinnitus will normally subside on its own, a typical reaction to a noisy environment (and your body’s way of telling you to stay away from that environment from now on). Whether that’s acute or chronic tinnitus, well, we’ll only know over time.