You just can’t escape from that ringing in your ears. That high pitched buzz in your ear has been bothering you since yesterday morning and it still hasn’t gone away. you realize that the buzzing is tinnitus but your starting to be concerned about how long it will continue.
Tinnitus can be brought about by injury to the stereocilia in your ears (they’re the tiny hairs that pick up air vibrations that your brain then transforms into intelligible sound). That damage is most often the result of overly loud noise. That’s why you notice tinnitus most commonly after, for example, going to a concert, spending time in a noisy restaurant, or being seated near a deafening jet engine while you’re traveling.
Under Typical Circumstances, How Long Does Tinnitus Last?
There isn’t any cure for tinnitus. But tinnitus usually doesn’t continue forever. How long your tinnitus lasts depends on a large number of factors, including your general health and the underlying cause of your tinnitus.
But if you just arrived home from a noisy day of traveling and you find your ears ringing, a couple of days should be enough for you to observe your tinnitus going away. 16 to 48 hours on average is how long tinnitus will persist. But occasionally, symptoms can last as much as a couple of weeks. Additional exposure to loud sounds could also trigger tinnitus to flare up again, essentially resetting the clock.
If tinnitus persists and is impacting your quality of life, you need to consult a specialist.
What Causes Permanent Tinnitus?
In most cases, tinnitus is temporary. But that means it can be long lasting. When the root cause is not ordinary that’s especially true When it comes to degree and origin. Some illustrations are as follows:
- Hearing loss: Tinnitus and hearing loss often go hand in hand. So you may end up with permanent tinnitus no matter what the cause of your hearing loss.
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Most of the processing of sound occurs in the brain. In certain cases, a serious brain injury (like a concussion) may cause tinnitus because those processors start to misfire.
- Repeated exposure: If your ears are ringing after one rock concert, imagine how they’ll feel after several rock concerts a week or if you’re a musician who performs concerts and practices all day. Frequent exposure to loud noises can cause permanent hearing injury, tinnitus included.
Permanent tinnitus is significantly less common than its more temporary counterpart. But there are still millions of Us citizens each year who are treated for lasting, or chronic, tinnitus symptoms.
How do You Get Your Tinnitus to Subside?
Whether your tinnitus is short lived or long lived, you may want to get relief as quickly as you can. There isn’t a cure for tinnitus but you can do certain things to reduce the symptoms (however long they might last):
- Stay away from loud noises. Your symptoms could be prolonged or may become more intense if you keep exposing yourself to loud noises like rock concerts or a jet engine.
- Try to keep calm: Maybe it sounds a little… abstract, but higher blood pressure can lead to tinnitus episodes so remaining calm can help keep your tinnitus in check.
- Find a way to cover up the sound: In some cases, employing a white noise device (like a humidifier or fan) can help you mask the noise of tinnitus and, thus, overlook the symptoms (and, you know, get a good night’s sleep in the process).
- Wear earplugs (or earmuffs): If you cannot avoid loud environments, then protecting your hearing is the next best step. (And, really, whether you have tinnitus or not, you need to wear hearing protection.)
Unfortunately, none of these tactics will cure long term tinnitus. But it can be just as significant to manage and reduce your symptoms.
When Will Your Tinnitus Subside?
Your tinnitus, in most scenarios, will subside by itself. Your hearing should return to normal within 16 to 48 hours. However, if your tinnitus lingers, you’ll want to seek out a solution. The sooner you discover a treatment that is effective, the sooner you can experience relief. Get your hearing tested if you think you have tinnitus or hearing loss.