Most new cases of tinnitus will resolve within 6 to 12 months after their onset. If your tinnitus is longer, you'll likely hear it less over time, even if it persists beyond this period. Let's start with the guy who disappears, usually, in 16 or 24 hours. This type of ringing in the ears occurs after exposure to a very loud sound.
This type is related to damage to the small sensory hairs that cover the ear canal. When they begin to recover, the problem goes away. But if you've just returned home after a noisy day of traveling and your ears are ringing, a couple of days should be enough for you to notice that your tinnitus is going away. On average, tinnitus will persist for 16 to 48 hours.
However, sometimes symptoms can last up to two weeks. And tinnitus will reappear if you are exposed to loud sounds again. If tinnitus is the result of occasional exposure to loud noises, such as at a concert, or an extension of an allergic reaction, it is usually temporary. It will usually go away in a few hours or a few days, or once the hearing system has recovered or the allergic reaction has been addressed.
That said, if you experience ongoing exposure to noise or have an underlying medical condition that may cause this symptom, in these cases it may be permanent. In many cases, tinnitus goes away on its own, regardless of the cause. However, that doesn't mean you have to wait weeks, months, or even years for tinnitus to go away. If tinnitus persists for more than a couple of weeks and negatively affects your quality of life, see an audiologist.
The sooner you seek help, the sooner you can find a treatment protocol to resolve tinnitus. This is especially important if tinnitus increases over time, as this may indicate that you have progressive hearing loss. If you have tinnitus, you probably need to see an otolaryngologist because, in most cases, it won't spread on its own. Sometimes, you may experience tinnitus as a result of brief exposure to loud noises, and it will improve after a few days.
However, there is usually an underlying cause that needs to be treated by a doctor. In these cases, one or more of the causes of tinnitus is likely to be a hearing malfunction, which is often due to hearing loss due to exposure to loud noises. It is generally recommended that you see a specialist if tinnitus continues, and especially if tinnitus is diminishing your quality of life. Regardless of the cause of tinnitus, there is no known magic cure to stop perceived “unsourced” noise in the ears.
If you think you have hearing loss (which is often associated with tinnitus), you should get your hearing tested. Frequent exposure to loud noise can cause hearing loss and tinnitus, making musicians, construction workers, and airport ground staff more likely to suffer from tinnitus. Your individual way of thinking and the way you approach tinnitus will also play a critical role in the success of your treatment. Tinnitus can have a major impact on daily life, making it difficult to concentrate at work, sleep and talk.
Tinnitus can be caused by damage to the stereocilia inside the ears (these small hairs detect air oscillations that the ears convert into sound). If you have a problem with your blood vessels, taking steps to lower your blood pressure and eliminate blockages in your blood vessels will also reduce your tinnitus symptoms. For about 1 to 2 million Americans, tinnitus is debilitating, mercilessly reducing their quality of life and compromising their cognitive abilities. Tinnitus caused by a single exposure to a very loud sound or by a cold or flu goes away over time.
Of those people, approximately 10 to 12 million suffer from chronic tinnitus and seek medical attention for their condition. .
