Does tinnitus go away? Before we talk about that, let’s talk about what tinnitus is. If you have tinnitus, you hear a persistent noise in your ears, whether it’s buzzing, ringing, roaring, clicking, etc. Tinnitus can be mild, such that it’s just a little distracting in quiet moments, or can be severe enough that it actually impacts the quality of your life negatively.
Does tinnitus go away?
That depends. First of all, most people get tinnitus at least at some point in their lives, such as if they have a cold or the flu, perhaps a sinus infection or ear infection, where they’ll experience some ringing in their ears temporarily. Once the cold, flu, ear infection, or whatever it is goes away, the tinnitus goes away, too.
However, sometimes people experience permanent tinnitus, and it’s quite common to experience at least some persistent tinnitus when you get older.
The causes of tinnitus vary, but besides the temporary tinnitus caused by a cold or the flu (and resulting head stuffiness), for example, one of the major causes of tinnitus is damage to the inner ear’s delicate structures. Most often, this occurs because you are listening to persistent loud noises, either deliberately (such as if you wear ear buds with the music cranked up close to your ear), or unintentionally (such as if you have a job where the environment is very loud and you don’t wear ear protection, like a factory environment or in the construction industry).
Other factors that can cause tinnitus
Tinnitus can also be caused by other factors, such as jaw misalignment; in some cases, when the jaw misalignment is corrected (such as if orthodontics or corrective surgery realign the jaw so that it’s properly positioned), the tinnitus may go away.
Living with permanent tinnitus
If you have tinnitus and it can’t be corrected, though, in that case, tinnitus is generally seen to be permanent. It’s also true, unfortunately, that traditional medicine doesn’t offer a lot of options for you. However, what can be comforting is that in many cases, most people only find their tinnitus to be particularly distracting or disturbing when they’re trying to sleep. That is, if you’re trying to sleep in a quiet room and your ears are continually buzzing or ringing wildly, you may have difficulty falling asleep.
If you have been diagnosed with permanent tinnitus and the only time you have difficulty with it is when you’re trying to sleep, doctors usually recommend that you get a white noise machine; the white noise is soothing noise that you can concentrate on and therefore be distracted from the tinnitus. Oftentimes, this is all that’s needed to correct the difficulties you experience because of your tinnitus.
Chinese medicine, too, has some non-allopathic remedies that may be of help to you if you have permanent tinnitus, including acupuncture and some homeopathic remedies specifically geared to particular types of tinnitus, such as tinnitus where buzzing is felt in the ears, or tinnitus where hearing loss is also present. You can find these remedies by researching online and trying them for yourself, either through self-study or with the help of a homeopathic practitioner.
Preventing tinnitus in the first place
Of course, the best “cure” for tinnitus is to not acquire it in the first place. While there are some instances where you won’t be able to help getting tinnitus, other instances are certainly preventable. If you listen to music, don’t listen to it when it’s “cranked up” and very close to your ear, such that you will damage your hearing. If you work in a job or are often in an environment where the noise is very loud, wear ear protection to prevent excess noise exposure and possible damage.
Finally, it’s also often true that even if you’re very, very careful, some tinnitus is inevitable for some people as they age. That’s because the aging process itself can cause tinnitus. Experts say that tinnitus can become worse if you are hypervigilant about it; therefore, try to relax and practice anti-anxiety techniques like meditation, deep breathing, and so on, if you find yourself obsessing about your tinnitus. Making it simply “a part of things” instead of a central focus is one way you can actually lessen its severity. That, along with the other techniques discussed, can make tinnitus a mere nuisance if you do have to put up with it, instead of a major disability.