You just can’t get away from that ringing in your ears. That high pitched ringing in your ear has been nagging you ever since yesterday morning and it still hasn’t gone away. you realize that the buzzing is tinnitus but your beginning to worry about how long it will continue.
Tinnitus can be brought about by injury to the stereocilia inside your ears (the air oscillations that your ears convert into sound, are sensed by these little hairs). That damage is typically the outcome of overly loud noise. That’s why when you’re sitting next to a roaring jet engine, or out at a noisy restaurant, or attending a concert, you notice tinnitus the most.
Under Normal Scenarios, How Long Does Tinnitus Last?
Tinnitus can’t be cured. But that doesn’t mean it’ll never subside. There will be a wide variety of factors that will establish how long your tinnitus will last, including your general health and the root cause of your tinnitus.
But if you find your ears ringing after a noisy day of traveling, a day or two should be enough for you to observe your tinnitus going away. 16 to 48 hours on average is how long tinnitus will persist. But in some cases, symptoms can last as much as two weeks. And tinnitus will come back if you are exposed to loud noise again.
It’s usually recommended that you consult a specialist if your tinnitus persists and especially if your tinnitus is impacting from your quality of life.
Why is Tinnitus Sometimes Irreversible?
Usually, tinnitus is temporary. But that means it can be long lasting. Especially when the cause of tinnitus is something out of the ordinary When it comes to severity and origin. Some illustrations are as follows:
- Hearing loss: Frequently, tinnitus and hearing loss are joined at the hip. So, whatever the cause of your hearing loss is, you could also find yourself developing (or noticing) permanent tinnitus alongside it.
- Repeated exposure: If your ears are buzzing after attending one rock concert, think of how they’ll feel after five rock concerts a week or if you’re a musician who plays live shows and practices all day. Repeated exposure to loud noises can result in permanent hearing injury, including tinnitus.
- Traumatic Brain Trauma (TBI): The brain is where most sound is processed. When those processors start to misfire, as a result of traumatic brain trauma, tinnitus can be the outcome.
Permanent tinnitus is significantly less common than its more short-term counterpart. But permanent or chronic tinnitus still impacts millions of Americans each year.
How do You Get Your Tinnitus to Subside?
You will want to find relief as soon as possible regardless of whether your tinnitus is long term or short term. There isn’t a cure for tinnitus but you can do certain things to decrease the symptoms (though they may last only so long):
- Avoid loud noises. Your symptoms could be extended or may become more severe if you keep exposing yourself to loud noises such as rock concerts or a jet engine.
- Find a way to cover up the sound: Sometimes, utilizing a white noise machine (like a humidifier or fan) can help you mask the sound 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 can’t steer clear of loud situations, then safeguarding your hearing is the next best step. (And, really, whether you suffer from tinnitus or not, you need to use hearing protection.)
- Try to remain calm: Maybe it sounds somewhat… abstract, but keeping calm can really help keep your tinnitus under control, mostly because increased blood pressure can trigger tinnitus flare-ups.
To be sure, if you have permanent tinnitus, none of these strategies will get rid of your tinnitus. But decreasing and managing your symptoms can be just as significant.
How Long Before Your Tinnitus Goes Away?
In the majority of circumstances, though, your tinnitus will go away without you needing to do anything about it. Your hearing should go back to normal within 16 to 48 hours. However, you will want to look for a solution if your tinnitus lingers. Discovering a workable treatment is the best way to ultimately get some relief. If you think you have hearing loss (which is often associated with tinnitus) you should get your hearing tested.