Tinnitus is a common ear condition that does affect different people of different ages and genders. The condition has the patient experiencing some buzzing or ringing noise in their ears and can be constant or keep coming and going. the question is how do you know the signs that tinnitus is going away, what exactly to look for?
Most of us have experienced tinnitus at one point in our lives. It is usually characterized by noise in your ears that originates internally. More than 40 million Americans have experienced tinnitus. Tinnitus sound has been reported mainly as ringing or buzzing sound, but hissing, clicking, wheezing, or ticking sounds can be classified as tinnitus.
Your ears experiencing ringing does not necessarily mean that someone has tinnitus as it can be as a result of being around loud sounds, side effects of medicine, a lot of ear wax and so many other things.
It is practically impossible to tell how long your condition will last, or if it is long-term or short-term. Tinnitus is caused by several factors. At some point, you may need the help of an audiologist when tinnitus seems to persist for a long time. This is because tinnitus is not an independent condition; it could be a symptom of something else.
What Is Tinnitus?
Inside This Article
Tinnitus condition is any sound you hear that you cannot tell its source. Your ear can tell sound from car horns, nearby music, wind, and many others. But tinnitus sounds on the other hand are internal hissing or buzzing inside your ears without an actual source.
This sound can be either continuous or discontinuous. It is caused when one is exposed to very loud noise such as sitting next to a jet engine or attending a loud music concert.
Signs Your Tinnitus Is Going Away
- You will notice that you don’t experience it often and when it comes, it does not last for long, and with time, it gets even better.
- You start not noticing it as you used to before.
- Your life becomes a lot easier as you can concentrate on something without tinnitus interfering with whatever you are doing.
- It does not bother you that you have tinnitus as it is barely there.
- It does not feel as serious as it did in the beginning when the condition was serious.
- When conversing with someone, you will notice that you are not distracted by any other voices but their own, which is a sign that the tinnitus is going away.
How To Know If You Have Tinnitus?
| Buzzing in the ears. |
| Hearing humming that does not exist. |
| Experiencing roaring sounds in the ears. |
| Clicking. |
Musical sounds inside your ears. |
Causes of Tinnitus
- Frequent exposure to loud noises
As a result of being around loud noises, the ear gets to experience the ringing so frequently. Because of this, the ear gets used to the ringing, and from time to time, you start experiencing the ringing effect even when in quiet places.
- Hormonal changes
Hormonal changes apply to women as their hormonal changes may be the reason why they get tinnitus. This is because hormonal changes do change so many things in the body of women.
- Loss of hearing
The cochlea is responsible for handling sound waves, and the moment these hair cells are broken, there may be some difficulties in the interpretation of the sounds. This can bring about your suffering from tinnitus. Also read: How to treat tinnitus?
- Injuries to the neck or head
The moment your head or neck suffers from any trauma; this can tamper with the health of your ears. The moment the injury reaches the inner ear; the ear will surely get tinnitus (1).
- Blockage or infections of the ear
If the ear canal gets blocked, the dirt there can cause some difficulties with how sound is interpreted, and this can cause tinnitus.
- Meniere’s disease.
This disease can bring about tinnitus as it does affect the ear.
Factors that increase the risk of tinnitus
Age: The older you get the more you are prone to different conditions. The fibers used in the ears also grow old as people age and this does bring about someone suffering from tinnitus.
Related: How to stop ringing in ears from sinus and other causes
Health problems:
Certain medical problems can bring about tinnitus. Health problems such as arthritis, neck or head injuries, obesity, or high blood pressure do increase the risk of getting tinnitus.
Alcohol use:
There is a higher chance of people who drink alcohol suffering from tinnitus. This is because alcohol is not healthy.
Sex:
When it comes to the sex that is likely to develop tinnitus, men are more at risk here than women.
How Long Does It Last?
The amount of time this condition lasts depends on the nature of exposure. In most cases, it only lasts a short time then it fades away on its own. This can be a matter of hours to even days. Usually, it can last at least 16 hours to 48 hours.
Sound is measured in decibels. Your ears can cope with sound at 50 to 60 decibels well. But above this tinnitus can begin to set in. For instance, a gunshot is 140 decibels. To others this sound is disturbing and it can cause damage to your eardrums. (That is why people use earplugs in training to prevent damage to the inner ear.)
A gunshot is an example of a short loud noise. Tinnitus of this kind usually fades away quickly. Loud noise from jet engines and concerts takes a long time to fade away. Also, read Best Tinnitus Masking Devices You Can Try
And if you are constantly exposed to loud noises in the workplace such as a machine operator or you work in a construction site the tinnitus condition can be irreversible.
So tinnitus can either be short-term, long-term, or permanent depending on the exposure levels and the cause of the condition.
Signs Your Tinnitus Is Temporary
| The sounds do not last for long as they can only take seconds. |
| Ignoring the symptoms is a lot easier than with permanent tinnitus. |
| The symptoms are not in any way connected with any other conditions. |
What are the causes of temporary tinnitus?
Some of the causes of temporary tinnitus include:
- Ear infection
An ear infection usually affects the inner ear and it can be either a bacterial or a viral infection. It is characterized by swelling and fluid build-up. These ear infections can be treated using antibiotics while others require maximum rest to heal. When the infection fades away, so does tinnitus.
- Ear wax
Wax build-up is another cause of temporary tinnitus condition. Waxy ears depend on your overall health, the amount of time you spend cleaning your ears, how you clean the ears, and how frequently you wear earphones. And there are those people whose ears are more prone to wax than others, no matter how clean they are.
- Medication
Increased blood flow and pressure can also cause tinnitus. Thus, they need to be controlled. Certain medications increase your blood flow and pressure leading to a temporary condition. Ototoxic medicines can cause tinnitus but as soon as you stop taking them, the condition also fades away.
- Perforated eardrums
Loud noises and changes in air pressure can cause perforations in the eardrum and as a result, tinnitus sets in. However, this condition is reversible as soon as the eardrum heals.
- Stress and anxiety
When you are stressed and anxious your blood pressure increases. The increase in blood pressure can bring about tinnitus. Thus, keeping calm will help you in managing the situation.
Signs Your Tinnitus Is Permanent
| It constantly keeps on coming back. |
| You experience other symptoms apart from the sounds you hear. |
| There is no way you are going to ignore permanent tinnitus. |
| There is no way you are going to ignore permanent tinnitus. |
| The conditions can last up to two weeks. |
What Are The Causes Of Permanent Tinnitus?
Though in most cases tinnitus is temporary, it can also become a permanent condition to other people. Permanent tinnitus is caused by:
- Meniere’s disease
It is a disorder of the inner ear and it usually leads to dizziness and even hearing loss. It only affects one ear, but it can eventually spread to the other ear. It can start at any age, mostly affecting young and middle-aged adults. This can result in long-term or permanent tinnitus. Tinnitus resulting from this disease can be managed with the help of an audiologist.
- Old age
Aging can cause natural hearing loss. This will lead to permanent tinnitus but with the help of a hearing aid, it can be managed or eliminated.
How to know if you have tinnitus
You should know the common symptoms of tinnitus. Knowing these symptoms early will help you reduce their effects on your normal life.
| Symptoms include: |
| Ringing, buzzing, hissing, ticking, squealing, and wheezing. |
| Experiencing these sounds often. |
When you experience tinnitus, you need to seek help as this helps reduce further problems that may come about with prolonged exposure to loud noise. Tinnitus usually fades away for most people, but that is not true for all people. When tinnitus persists for long, it is because of a severe issue such as hearing loss.
When To Seek Medical Assistance?
It is normal for some people to feel like they do not need to see a doctor for everything that they notice different with their body, and that’s fine but for tinnitus patients, they need to look out for the following signs;
If the tinnitus develops after one gets a respiratory infection. The tinnitus can clear out after a week or so, and if it doesn’t, please seek medical attention.
If by any chance tinnitus is causing you anxiety or depression. It is wise that you see a doctor treat the condition before it gets out of hand.
If you experience any dizziness as a result of your tinnitus, it is a sign that you need to get a check-up to make sure you are doing fine.
If you notice that you are having a difficult time hearing what others are saying as a result of your tinnitus, seek medical help as soon as possible.
Having difficulties with listening to music the right way is a reason why you need to visit a doctor about your tinnitus. You need to enjoy music and not get irritated by it.
Conclusion:
Finally, you can easily know the signs if your tinnitus is going away by being keen and paying attention to how to converse and relate with people on a day-to-day basis. You get to enjoy so much life when you have dealt with your tinnitus and all the bad days and experiences it brings your way.
Temporary tinnitus will fade by itself very rapidly, but a long-term condition will take a long time to disappear. When you feel like you are experiencing tinnitus, you should visit an audiologist to determine whether your condition is permanent or temporary. Furthermore, an audiologist will offer you advice on the necessary next steps.
