You just can’t escape from that ringing in your ears. It’s been over two days and you can still hear that irritating ringing in your ears. You’re aware that the ringing is tinnitus but your starting to be concerned about how long it will keep going.
Tinnitus can be brought on by injury to the stereocilia in your ears (the air vibrations which your ears turn into sound, are sensed by these little hairs). That damage is usually the result of excessively loud sound. That’s why you notice tinnitus most often after, as an example, going to a concert, eating at a noisy restaurant, or being seated next to a roaring jet engine while you’re taking a trip.
Under Typical Circumstances, How Long Will Tinnitus Persist?
Tinnitus can’t be cured. But tinnitus usually doesn’t last forever. There will be a large number of factors that will determine how long your tinnitus will stick around, such as your general health and the underlying cause of your tinnitus.
But if you find your ears buzzing after a noisy day of traveling, a day or two should be sufficient for you to notice your tinnitus going away. Typically, tinnitus will persist for 16 to 48 hours. But it’s also not uncommon for symptoms to linger, sometimes for as much as a couple of weeks. Additional exposure to loud noises could also cause tinnitus to flare up again, essentially resetting the clock.
If tinnitus continues and is affecting your quality of life, you need to consult a specialist.
Why is Tinnitus Sometimes Irreversible?
Usually, tinnitus is temporary. But that means it can be long lasting. Particularly when the cause of tinnitus is something out of the ordinary When it comes to severity and origin. Some examples are as follows:
- Hearing Impairment: Tinnitus and hearing loss typically go hand in hand. So, no matter what causes your hearing loss, you might also wind up developing (or noticing) irreversible tinnitus along with it.
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): The brain is where the majority of sound is processed. In certain cases, a serious brain injury (like a concussion) might cause tinnitus because those processors begin to misfire.
- Repeated exposure: After one rock concert, your ears will ring for a couple of days but frequent exposure will lead to far more serious consequences. Repeated exposure to loud sounds can cause irreversible hearing damage, including tinnitus.
Short term tinnitus is far more common than permanent tinnitus. But permanent or chronic tinnitus still impacts millions of Americans each year.
How Can You Get Your Tinnitus to Subside?
It doesn’t matter if your tinnitus is short lived or long term, you will want to get relief as soon as you can. There isn’t a cure for tinnitus but you can do some things to decrease the symptoms (though they will probably last only so long):
- Steer clear of loud noises. Going to another concert, jumping on another flight, or turning up the volume on your earpods another notch may extend your symptoms or double down on their severity.
- Try to remain calm: Maybe it sounds a little… abstract, but higher blood pressure can trigger tinnitus flare ups so remaining calm can help keep your tinnitus in check.
- Find a way to cover up the sound: You can sometimes mask the sound and get a good nights sleep by utilizing some source of white noise like a humidifier or fan.
- Wear earplugs (or earmuffs): The next step, if you can’t avoid loud situations, is to wear ear protection. (And, really, you should be protecting your hearing even if you don’t have tinnitus.)
Unfortunately, none of these tactics will cure long term tinnitus. But diminishing and controlling your symptoms can be just as significant.
How Long Before Your Tinnitus Subsides?
In the majority of cases, though, your tinnitus will go away without you having to do anything about it. Your hearing should return to normal within 16 to 48 hours. However, you will want to find a solution if your tinnitus lingers. The sooner you find a treatment that works, the sooner you can get relief. If you think you have hearing loss (which is frequently associated with tinnitus) you should get your hearing checked.