The buzzing won't go away. That high-pitched, irritating whistling in your ear has been there for years and won't stop.
You know it's a sign of tinnitus, but you wonder how long it's supposed to last and if it will eventually go away on its own after all these years.
Most of the time, it's very easy to tell when something is wrong with your ears. Hearing loss is an obvious sign, but even the slightest pain can indicate that there's a problem somewhere.
However, some cases are very noticeable and difficult to live with on a daily basis, which is the case for certain types of tinnitus.
Learning that you have tinnitus is far from pleasant. Suddenly, you hear unexplained sounds in your ears that don't come from any external source. And these noises don't fade away as they normally would: they are continuous, including when you try to sleep at night.
Hence the question, after many years of living with this condition: can tinnitus simply disappear after years?
So, we're going to try to provide some answers to your questions. But before that, let's look at what causes tinnitus, because that's where the key to the answer lies.
What causes tinnitus?
Before addressing how long your tinnitus will last, it's wise to determine what's causing it.
In most cases, the cause determines the duration of the condition and is something you can act upon. This helps reduce symptoms for those whose quality of life is affected, or prevent further damage from occurring.
Exposure to loud sounds
If your ears are frequently exposed to loud noises (e.g., if you spend hours each day listening to music at high volume with headphones or earbuds), you would do well to ease up a bit, as this damages your ears.
Generally, most people don't immediately notice the effects of loud sounds, as they first manifest as temporary discomfort (lasting only a few minutes, sometimes a day).
For example, it's not uncommon to experience tinnitus symptoms after a very loud live music concert. Upon leaving the venue, you might perceive a kind of buzzing in your ears, usually high-pitched.
This should be considered a warning. Most of the time, this whistling eventually fades; but it shows that you should use hearing protection at such events in the future. And if the exposure has been prolonged, the damage may already be done.
The hair cells in your ears can indeed be damaged by continuous exposure to loud sounds, which can cause tinnitus.
Hearing loss
If you suffer from any hearing loss, it can lead to tinnitus. This means you should consult an audiologist for both hearing loss and tinnitus. But before tinnitus can be treated, the hearing loss must be addressed.
That said, the most common cause of tinnitus is indeed hearing loss. Depending on your situation, you can address the root problem (hearing loss) and thus prevent the unwanted noises associated with tinnitus.
Removing a wax plug, for example, helps restore hearing and indirectly helps tinnitus symptoms disappear.
In other cases, as you age, you may develop hearing loss, and as it progresses, your tinnitus becomes more noticeable because no external sounds mask it.
When certain tinnitus symptoms appear, have your hearing checked by an ENT doctor to ensure no underlying hearing loss is the cause.
Stress exposure
More and more people live daily under stressful conditions, against a backdrop of anxiety. However, few of them know that such situations can cause tinnitus.
The situation is a bit tricky, because when the whistling and whooshing sounds begin, they generate even more stress and anxiety, which worsens the condition.
And even if you've learned to ignore tinnitus over the years, your brain can unconsciously perceive this noise as a threat, triggering more irritability, stress, and anxiety, making the sound much more present.
Audiologists generally recommend sound masking techniques like white noise in these situations to alleviate symptoms.
Infections
Ear infections can seriously affect your hearing, both during the infection and after it heals. It is therefore essential to consult a specialist quickly if you feel any pain in your ears, as this type of condition often worsens if left untreated.
These infections can cause certain tinnitus symptoms if not treated in time. In this case, tinnitus is usually temporary, but make sure the ENT doctor treats the root cause of the infection.
Excess earwax
Some people produce more earwax than others, which often leads to an excess that obstructs the ear canal. There are many ways to deal with this problem. However, it is still best to consult an audiologist before tackling it yourself, as a professional can always remove excess earwax, which should reduce your tinnitus.
If this is not the case, it is probably something else causing the problem.
Perforated eardrum
Tinnitus can occur as a result of a perforated eardrum, which can have various origins: pressure variations related to driving or flying, infections, loud sounds.
If you think your eardrum is damaged, seek advice from an ear specialist. And as soon as your eardrum recovers, you will notice a decrease in your tinnitus.
Vascular problems
If you hear your heartbeat, it's a sign that your tinnitus is due to a vascular problem, such as an obstruction or high blood pressure. In this case, it is imperative to consult a healthcare professional, as this can lead to other significant health problems.
Normally, how long does tinnitus last?
There is no cure for tinnitus. But that doesn't mean it can never disappear. Its duration depends on many factors, such as the underlying cause and your general health.
However, if, for example, you return from a day spent in the din of transport and you notice whistling in your ears, a few days should be enough for it to fade.
As a general rule, tinnitus lasts between 16 and 48 hours. But in some cases, symptoms persist for several weeks. And if you are exposed to loud sounds again, they will return.
If they persist and affect your quality of life, you may need to see a specialist.
Why is tinnitus sometimes permanent?
Most of the time, tinnitus is temporary, but it can also be irreversible, especially when its cause goes beyond ordinary reasons, both in its severity and its origin.
Here are some examples of the origins of permanent tinnitus:
Hearing impairment
Hearing loss and tinnitus often go hand in hand. Whatever the origin of your hearing loss, you may therefore notice the appearance of permanent tinnitus in parallel.
Continuous exposure to loud sounds
As we have seen, loud noises are harmful to your ear health; they generally only cause a few days of whistling before fading away. But if you are constantly exposed to them, you can suffer irreversible hearing damage, including tinnitus.
Head trauma
A significant part of sound processing occurs in your brain. And if these circuits malfunction due to head trauma, it can cause permanent tinnitus.
While short-term tinnitus is a common problem, millions of people have nevertheless been treated for chronic, persistent tinnitus.
How can I reduce my tinnitus?
Whether your tinnitus is long-term or short-term, you'll want to get rid of it as quickly as possible. While there's no known cure, certain measures can alleviate symptoms (regardless of how long you've had them):
Wear earmuffs or earplugs
If you can't avoid noisy environments, the next best thing is to protect your ears. And even if you don't suffer from tinnitus, you should still protect them in noisy places.
Stay calm
This may seem a bit abstract, but staying calm helps control tinnitus, as it lowers blood pressure, which promotes flare-ups.
Mask the noise
You can cover the sound of tinnitus and get a good night's sleep by using white noise sources, such as a humidifier or a fan.
Avoid loud sounds
It can't be stressed enough: if you continue to overexpose yourself to loud sounds, your tinnitus can worsen or become even more intense.
That said, none of these methods will eliminate permanent tinnitus. But they can help you control and reduce the symptoms that affect your quality of life.
Can tinnitus disappear after years?
For some people, tinnitus is temporary. Their brain hallucinates certain sounds for a time, then they disappear before returning. In other words, tinnitus is subject to flare-ups, of varying intensity.
However, there are situations where tinnitus simply doesn't go away, even when it results from hearing loss and you wear hearing aids as treatment.
For this type of tinnitus, healthcare professionals have developed various techniques to manage the condition.
The most common treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy. Its goal is not to eliminate the origin of tinnitus, but to give the patient a better attitude towards it.
Therapists who lead these sessions offer techniques to manage the (mental) reaction to tinnitus. Patients learn to make peace with it and no longer perceive it as a threat.
Not all these sessions are successful. For some people, tinnitus remains a lifelong burden. The best approach to managing tinnitus that has persisted for years is therefore to combine treatments: wearing hearing aids with white noise functions while attending support sessions.
That said, if you've had tinnitus for years, consult a specialist urgently, because most of the time, it won't go away on its own.
You should consult an audiologist or an ENT doctor to discover the origin of your tinnitus so they can treat it. If there is no treatable cause, they can give you techniques to manage the symptoms.
If tinnitus is incurable, what's the point of seeing a specialist?
Based on the causes of tinnitus discussed above, here are some ways specialists can help you manage the problem.
Ear infections
Suppose your tinnitus is due to an ear infection, a perforated eardrum, or an earwax plug. In this case, it can only disappear after years if you consult a specialist to treat the underlying cause. Not on its own.
This may involve taking antibiotics to eliminate the infection, or having an ear irrigation performed by the specialist to remove the earwax plug. Once the underlying problem is resolved, you will see your tinnitus disappear.
Vascular problems
For tinnitus related to a vascular problem, following medical recommendations to lower your blood pressure and clear obstructions in your vessels will help reduce symptoms.
Hearing damage due to loud sounds or hearing loss
When your tinnitus results from damage to your ears caused by overexposure to loud sounds or by hearing loss, it can be irreversible. In this case, consulting a specialist will help you find ways to control the symptoms.
Doctors often prescribe wearable devices, such as hearing aids, which will help you mask the buzzing or whistling and make them less noticeable.
Certain medications can also help, but they have side effects and should not be used often.
Are over-the-counter tinnitus treatments reliable?
No. For tinnitus, over-the-counter medications and herbal remedies are not reliable and will not work. There is no credible scientific evidence to show that these substances have a significant effect on tinnitus.
This also applies to Lipoflavonoid, which has not received any FDA approval to treat, prevent, or cure tinnitus.
Most of these products are multivitamin complexes. So beware of success stories associated with them. When people use over-the-counter treatments, it coincides with natural improvement, leading them to believe the product worked.
The short-term placebo effect can also make people believe that an ineffective treatment works.
Conclusion
So, can tinnitus disappear on its own after years? In most cases, no. You will need to see a doctor to discover the cause of the problem: if it is treatable, the symptoms will be managed; if not, the doctor will show you ways to manage them. To learn more about hearing loss and tinnitus, visit CLARIA today.
