The Differences Between Temporary and Permanent Tinnitus

Tinnitus, where you perceive a sound in your ears or head without a source, is incredibly common and increasingly frequent. There are two different types of tinnitus: temporary, which lasts a few minutes or days at a time, and permanent, which lasts for months without reprieve. 

Experiencing temporary tinnitus, which can come after repeated exposure to loud noise (ever come home with ringing ears after a night out?), can seriously increase your risk of developing permanent tinnitus later down the line. 

It’s crucial to take care of your hearing health with regular hearing assessments and tinnitus screenings to ensure that your ears can keep up with your active and busy lifestyle. 

What Is Temporary Tinnitus? 

Temporary tinnitus is typically caused by exposure to loud noise, ear infections, earwax buildup, or medication side effects. It lasts from a few minutes to a few days and typically resolves itself when the underlying issue is addressed. 

Cure the ear infection, remove the earwax buildup, or stop taking the medication, and the temporary tinnitus will fade on its own. 

Your tinnitus is most likely temporary if you’ve recently been exposed to loud noise trauma or you’re taking a new medication and, most importantly, you have no prior history of tinnitus to lead to concerns of permanent issues. 

What Is Permanent Tinnitus? 

On the other hand, permanent tinnitus is caused by repeated loud noise exposure, age-related hearing loss, or underlying medical conditions that may affect your ears. 

Permanent tinnitus lasts for weeks or even months at a time, with a persistent sound that doesn’t fade.  

One of the most common ways to tell if your tinnitus is permanent is if it’s linked to hearing loss challenges; quite often, when we’re dealing with hearing loss, our brains will create sound to fill in the gaps it causes, which leads to tinnitus. 

When to Seek Professional Help 

If you have reason to believe that your tinnitus is permanent or linked to other conditions within your body, like hearing loss, we encourage you to visit us for professional help and guidance. 

Early intervention for your tinnitus symptoms can help bring faster relief and expedited treatment and ensure that your symptoms won’t get in the way of your independent lifestyle. 

With professional hearing care, you can receive help from personalized tinnitus management that will help your ears habituate to the sounds of your tinnitus, whether that be through soothing sound therapies or advanced hearing aid technology to simultaneously address hearing loss. 

If you’re curious about hearing care or tinnitus management techniques or you would like to get in touch with a member of our team about your unique situation, Cayman Hearing Center is here to help.  

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us via our website or by giving us a call at (345) 946-9174.