Tinnitus is a term that describes a sound that you hear that no one else hears. This sound is generally a ringing in the ear; however, it can also be a pulsating sound, such as a throbbing or thumping sound, or non-pulsating, such as a buzzing, clicking, or hissing sound. You can experience tinnitus for a short period or constantly. Many people who deal with this condition wonder, "can tinnitus go away?". The answer is sometimes, depending on the cause of your tinnitus. Read on to learn steps, what kind of tinnitus might improve, and steps to help manage it.
Some common reasons for tinnitus include (1):
In cases where tinnitus is a symptom of an ear injury or infection, it can't always be prevented. However, protecting your ears from hearing damage can help prevent tinnitus caused by hearing loss. Tips you can use to protect your ears from sound damage include:
If you are experiencing tinnitus, you may wonder if it will ever stop. This depends on the cause of your tinnitus.
If an ear infection or ear injury is causing the tinnitus, then it may clear when the infection or injury clears. Tinnitus caused by stress may also be clear.
However, if it is caused by hearing damage, then it may not.
Tinnitus is also associated with some negative side effects, such as:
While there is nothing you can do to prevent tinnitus in some cases, many management strategies are focused on preventing its side effects. They do this by helping you ignore the tinnitus or improving your focus and thinking around it so it does not interfere with your work or social interactions.
These devices are worn like hearing aids; however, rather than helping you hear, they play a low-level white noise, such as a hissing noise. This can mask the sounds you may hear from tinnitus (2).
This is also known as tailor-made notched music training (TMNMT), and it involves listening to music centered around the frequency of your tinnitus. TMNMT can be found on some smartphone apps. While there have been claims that it can help reduce the volume of tinnitus, the evidence is unclear on its benefit (3).
Many tinnitus side effects affect quality of life and mental health. Therapy may help reduce these effects. The three different aspects of behavioral therapy include (2).
Education: There is a myth that tinnitus can be a symptom of a serious medical condition, and in most cases, it isn't. Education can help to relieve anxiety about tinnitus and your health. Additionally, you can learn about other techniques that may help you through education.Unfortunately, hypnosis has gotten a poor reputation as something only used for embarrassing or woo-woo purposes. However, hypnosis can be used to help some conditions like tinnitus. In this case, hypnosis can help change your perception of the tinnitus and may help reduce irritation with the sound.
Certain nutrients are involved in maintaining nerve and ear health. Research supports the idea that vitamin B12 and zinc may help.
These two nutrients work in slightly different ways. Vitamin B12 may help improve nerve health and communication between nerve cells (4).
Zinc has antioxidant properties that act on the inner ear's cochlea and may help modulate certain nerve pathways involved in hearing. Additionally, it may modify tinnitus and reduce the perception of symptoms (5).
In addition, caffeine, salt, and saturated fats may increase your chances of developing high blood pressure. If you experience tinnitus due to high blood pressure, limiting your intake of caffeine, salt, and saturated fat may help reduce your blood pressure and help with tinnitus.
One of the most popular herbal remedies for tinnitus is ginkgo biloba. This plant is native to China and is available as a supplement. It may help increase blood flow within the ear, improving its health. Ginkgo biloba is also an antioxidant and may help reduce free radical damage to the cochlea. This may help with tinnitus. However, more research is necessary (6).
It may come as a surprise, but chronic stress in the form of Adrenal Fatigue can cause tinnitus. Your body handles stress through the six-circuit NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response System. This system of related organs helps your body respond to stress. When you experience short-term stress, your adrenal glands produce stress hormones such as cortisol.
When stress becomes long-term, your adrenal glands become depleted of cortisol, and imbalances within the NEM system can start to arise. This marks the beginning of Adrenal Fatigue, a condition in which your body cannot keep up with long-term stress, resulting in various symptoms. These symptoms can depend on where the imbalance occurs in the NEM system.
One circuit where an imbalance can occur is the cardionomic circuit. This consists of your adrenal glands, cardiovascular, and autonomic nervous systems and manages stress in acute situations. Some symptoms of this imbalance include changes in dizziness, breathlessness, dehydration, and tinnitus. If your blood pressure becomes high, it can cause tinnitus. This form of tinnitus is sometimes perceived as pulsating and may sound similar to your heartbeat. If the imbalance in the cardionomic circuit is addressed and blood pressure is stable and within the optimal range, the tinnitus may clear.
Reducing stress can help your body recover from Adrenal Fatigue and stress-related tinnitus in some cases. Some techniques to reduce stress include:
Logically, hoping that silence will help if you hear a constant sound may make sense. However, silence may only make the tinnitus more noticeable in this case. This may increase your irritability around it and reduce your mental health.
If you are wondering if tinnitus can go away and trying to reduce it, there are some signs that you can look out for that it is clearing. These signs include:
Shorter duration of tinnitusExperiencing tinnitus can be annoying, affect your ability to concentrate and interact with others, and reduce your quality of life. Fortunately, some tips and techniques may assist in reducing or clearing tinnitus. These tips and techniques include:
If you are experiencing tinnitus and are exploring whether stress may be the cause, call us at +1 (626) 571-1234 for a free initial consultation.
Chan, Hby, et al. “Tinnitus – Ringing in the Ears.” Singapore Medical Journal, vol. 61, no. 9, Sept. 2020, pp. 448–52. http://www.smj.org.sg/article/tinnitus-ringing-ears.
“What Is Tinnitus? — Causes and Treatment.” NIDCD, 1 May 2023, www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/tinnitus.
Yoo, Shinyoung, et al. “Does Listening to Tinnitus Frequency-Filtered Music Relieve Tinnitus?” Journal of Audiology & Otology, vol. 26, no. 3, July 2022, pp. 147–52. https://ejao.org/journal/view.php?doi=10.7874/jao.2022.00010.
Singh, Charu, et al. “Therapeutic Role of Vitamin B12 in Patients of Chronic Tinnitus: A Pilot Study.” Noise & Health, vol. 18, no. 81, Jan. 2016, p. 93. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4918681/.
Person, Osmar C., et al. “Zinc Supplementation for Tinnitus.” Cochrane Library, vol. 2016, no. 11, Nov. 2016, https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD009832.pub2/full.
Chauhan, Bhushan, et al. “Ginkgo Biloba Administered Singly and Combined With Antioxidants in Tinnitus Patients.” Journal of Audiology & Otology, vol. 27, no. 1, Jan. 2023, pp. 37–44. https://ejao.org/journal/view.php?doi=10.7874/jao.2022.00395.
If you are experiencing tinnitus and asking yourself, can tinnitus go away without medical attention? Depending on the cause, it may go away on it's own, or you may only be able to improve the side effects. However, seeing a healthcare professional may help to determine the cause. If an infection, medical condition, or impacted ear wax is causing your tinnitus, then medical attention may help to clear your tinnitus.
