Sometimes you hear sounds not caused by any external event. They instead come from inside your body.
When you experience such a situation, know that you’re experiencing tinnitus. Normally known for ringing in the ear, the sound can take many forms. For instance, buzzing, whistling, hissing, humming, and grinding. The sound can be irritating, and keep you guessing – does tinnitus go away?
Furthermore, pulsatile is another form of Tinnitus that some people experience. It causes sounds in conformity with the pulse. You might feel muffled to noises around you or extra sensitive to everyday sounds. The question is how serious is tinnitus, and should you worry about it?
Let’s discuss tinnitus’ gravity, its types, does tinnitus go away with time, and the common treatments.
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What Is Tinnitus
So far, we know that tinnitus is a constant sound that comes internally without an external source. However, tinnitus sounds different to everyone, and it makes that there are four types of tinnitus. The question does tinnitus go away depends on the type you’re experiencing. Let’s have a glance at different types of tinnitus.
1. Neurological Tinnitus
Any disease that affects the brain’s auditory functions causes neurological tinnitus. An example is Meniere’s ailment that causes spinning sensation and consequently compromises auditory function by leading to a hearing loss.
2. Somatic Tinnitus
The sensory system causes this type of tinnitus. Commonly, jaw and neck muscle contractions lead to somatic tinnitus, as they affect the psychoacoustic properties.
3. Subjective Tinnitus
Subjective tinnitus is the most common type. The primary root of this tinnitus is exposure to excessive noise. Its duration can vary – sometimes they come and go instantly, and in some cases, they last for up to 12 months. In severe situations, the ringing may never stop. If you believe tinnitus is affecting your daily life, we strongly recommend getting medical advice.
4. Objective Tinnitus
It is a rare form of tinnitus that even an outsider can hear. Vascular deformities or unintentional muscle contractions are major causes of objective tinnitus. However, it is the only type that may have a permanent fix. Because curing the event that led to it usually stops the objective tinnitus.
What Causes Tinnitus?
The question does tinnitus goes away primarily depends upon its cause. Tinnitus can occur all of a sudden, or develop slowly over time. It leads to distortion in hearing, and the exact factor that originates it is still unclear. However, certain common events that tinnitus might have a link with are as follows:
- Earwax building up inside your ears
- Middle Ear Infection causing inflammation and fluid build-up behind eardrums
- Perforated Eardrums
- Otosclerosis – A condition that leads to unusual bone growth in the middle ear triggering hearing loss
- Meniere’s disease – A condition that also initiates hearing loss and a spinning feel.
Moreover, There Exist Rare Events That May Develop Tinnitus. These Include:
- Exposure to sudden very loud noises, such as an explosion.
- Narrowing of arteries and high blood pressure
- Anemia – Lack of red blood cells causing blood to thin and circulate very quickly
- Diabetes
- A head injury
- A side effect of any medication, such as antibiotics and chemotherapy medicines. It is more likely to occur at high doses.
Can Ear Infection Cause Tinnitus?
It’s pretty common to experience tinnitus after an ear infection. Infections related to the middle and outer ear both can instigate tinnitus. Both of these infections can lead to fluid build-up or swelling. These could be intensive enough to create a blockage that damages the eardrums.
The sound triggered by either of these infections takes the form of ringing, buzzing, and hissing tone.
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How Serious Is Tinnitus?
Commonly, tinnitus is not serious and does not show a sign of any significant condition. For most people, it is a minor irritation, and it comes and goes with time. Nevertheless, for some, tinnitus can be very severe and affects their daily lives. By causing difficulty in sleeping (insomnia) and depression, tinnitus can distort everyday activities. In such instances, the need to answer the question, does tinnitus go away, becomes more pronounced.
In most cases, your body would get used to tinnitus, or it would just disappear over time. However, if it does not go away, and is making your life harder, we recommend seeking medical advice.
Is Tinnitus Permanent?
A crucial question that might come to your mind is – does tinnitus go away on its own? Tinnitus is a temporary condition. However, how long does it take for tinnitus to go away depends on the type and origin? Mostly, the tinnitus associated with exposure to very loud noises subsides in a couple of days on its own and is not permanent.
Nonetheless, if your tinnitus lingers for more than three months, know that it is chronic tinnitus. In such an instance, it’s likely tinnitus won’t go away on its own. You’d be better off identifying its cause. We suggest seeking professional medical counsel if tinnitus persists for an overlong period.
Medication and Tinnitus
Ototoxic medications contain ear-damaging side effects. When taking such drugs, not everyone, but a significant number of people experience tinnitus. It raises the question – does tinnitus caused by medication go away?
Tinnitus originated by medication can be either temporary or permanent. Mostly, tinnitus caused by ototoxic drugs is temporary and goes away after a few days. Nevertheless, if you’re taking drugs such as aminoglycoside antibiotics, the tinnitus might or might not go away within a few weeks and can be permanent.
Whom Tinnitus Affects The Most?
A majority of people experience tinnitus for a short period following exposure to very loud noises. There’s no age limit for the victims of tinnitus, as it affects both children and adults. However, its occurrence is more common among people aged over 65.
In the United States, the US Centers for Disease Control approximates that 15% of people experience some type of tinnitus. It translates into around 20 million Americans facing it, from which 20 million experience burdensome tinnitus. Further breaking it down, 2 million people feel severe tinnitus that affects their daily lives.
How Can You Treat Tinnitus?
Presently, there is no specific treatment that works for everyone. Hence, does tinnitus go away vary from person to person, and as per its type. After how much time does tinnitus go away also depends on whether you’ve identified its cause. Let’s say earwax build-up has triggered tinnitus, so its removal may cure tinnitus.
However, if you can’t find a specific cause, some treatments exist that pertain to generally curing tinnitus. These include:
1. Counselling
The most effective way to counter this ailment is to seek counsel. The advising would educate you about tinnitus and its most common causes, hence helping you cope with it successfully. Moreover, you can detail out to the counsellor about how you’re feeling and find the cause of tinnitus.
2. Sound Therapy
Does tinnitus go away by sound therapy? Yes, it could. The most common sound therapy to stop tinnitus includes listening to neutral and relaxing sounds. These would help you forget about the constant ringing sound in your ears.
3. Tinnitus Retaining Therapy (TRT)
This specific therapy can also help you answer, does tinnitus go away with TRT. The therapy’s objective is to train your mind to become less aware of the tinnitus sound. It accomplishes this by retaining the way your brain responds to the tinnitus sound. Therefore, it makes it used to the sound.
4. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
This therapy is another way to lessen your worry about the question does tinnitus go away. The therapy aims to train your cognitive functions to take lesser notice of tinnitus sound. The focus of this therapy is to alter the way you think and perceive tinnitus sounds to make them less pronounced.
Does Tinnitus Go Away After Pregnancy?
During pregnancy, the human body experiences many changes. One of these includes the way your inner ear converts sound vibrations into electrical impulses for your brain. The variation in this sensitive process may lead to tinnitus.
The answer to the question does tinnitus goes away after pregnancy varies for different females. Most women fear that tinnitus might not stop after pregnancy. However, in most cases, after delivery, it goes away, or at the very least reduces its intensity. If you feel like tinnitus has not gone away even after delivery or want to get rid of it during the pregnancy, we strongly advise seeking professional medical advice.
Conclusion
Tinnitus is a minor yet frequent condition for many people. Mostly, it comes and goes away automatically and you might not even notice it. While you can tolerate mild tinnitus, the severe condition can interrupt your daily life and make you think; does tinnitus go away? If this is the case, do not hesitate to reach out to a professional and get medical assistance.