Your Tinnitus comes and goes. You don’t know what to make of it. Is it going to go away or is it going to become permanent. It’s anxious times and you want answers. Why does Tinnitus come and go? We do our best to explain. But, before we get started, here’s a statistic that will tell you that you are not alone. It is estimated that 20 Million Americans suffer from Tinnitus that is chronic in nature, even if it comes and goes.
My Tinnitus comes and goes – Why?
Please take some time to patiently read through each of the following points to see if it will explain why your Tinnitus comes and goes. Ringing that comes and goes usually has a trigger that sets it off. Once you identify that trigger, you can avoid or minimize exposure to it to try to live Tinnitus-free. Sometimes, tinnitus coming and going could actually mean that Tinnitus is going away. Learn more about signs that your tinnitus is going away here. Tinnitus that comes and goes could also be SBUTT, where your ears randomly ring for a few seconds at a time. If only your left ear or right ear rings from time to time, you might want to learn more about the meaning of ringing in your left or right ear, here.
What is Your Tinnitus Handicap Score?
Calculate your THI Score in about 2-3 Minutes
Triggers that cause Tinnitus to come and go
Loud noises
Anything over 85 dB is considered loud. That’s the kind of sound that comes from a powerful lawn mower. But, if you have Tinnitus, your loud noise threshold could be lower, at just 70 or 75 decibels. A vacuum cleaner in your home outputs about 75 db.
Try to think about sounds that you hear right around the time your Tinnitus comes on. You might be able to identify a culprit, like your vacuum cleaner! The solution for this is to wear Tinnitus ear plugs that have the ability to normalize loud sounds, without cutting them off completely.
Too Much Quiet!
We just talked about loud noises. How can quiet then cause Tinnitus to come on? It can actually. When things are too quiet, your brain is confused by the lack of auditory inputs. So, it starts to hallucinate sounds that you then hear as a ringing in your ears.
How Severe is Your Tinnitus?
Find out by using this THI (Tinnitus Handicap Inventory) Scoring Calculator
If your Tinnitus comes on at nighttime, it could be because of excessive quiet. Try turning on a fan or listening to some white noise or gentle music to see if it will make the Tinnitus stay away. The ear plug post we linked to above has a great suggestion for a nighttime ear buds that provide a masking sound designed just for Tinnitus sufferers.
Hearing Loss
Tinnitus is often accompanied by hearing loss. You can have hearing loss and still be able to hear almost normally. But, your ears might not be able to pick up on certain frequencies. Test yourself for hearing loss. Your audiologist might then make you wear hearing aids that can then prevent your Tinnitus from coming and going, instead just keeping it away for good.
Ear Wax? Q-Tips?
Does your Tinnitus come on when you are done digging your ears with a Q-Tip? That could be the culprit. Please read this article about how ear wax and Tinnitus are related. Excessive ear wax can make you selectively deaf. As for Q-tips, even the manufacturers of Q-Tip advise you to not insert buds into your ear canal!
Air Pressure Changes
Air pressure changes can make your Tinnitus come or go. Do you remember how your ears felt full when you were on a plane? You don’t need to be up 30,000 feet in the air to experience air pressure changes though. Even your air conditioner can do it, albeit at a much lower level. But, it might be enough of a change to set off your Tinnitus.
If you suspect this could be the cause, try going without air conditioning to see if your Tinnitus will stay away. Or, maybe try chewing some gum to help your ears normalize their inner pressure to match atmospheric pressure.
Stress
Just like how stress can make any health condition worse, it can make your Tinnitus come and go as a reaction to how you are feeling. Think about your day. Is your Tinnitus coming on in the mornings when you have a hundred things to do? And, does it go away as your day gets more relaxed? It could be related to stress.
Avoiding stress might not always be possible but you can certainly manage it if you want to. Try to plan your day better or spread out tasks over a longer period of time, so you are not in a hurry all the time.
Caffeine
Caffeine can elevate blood pressure. And, blood pressure can cause more blood to reach your middle and inner ear structures. This can easily make Tinnitus come and go, as caffeine in the body rises and drops. Try going caffeine-free to see if it will keep Tinnitus away.
Salt and Sugar
It’s not just salt that can increase blood pressure. Avoid salty foods you usually consume to see if it will make your Tinnitus go away and not come back on. But, you must also pay attention to the sugar you consume. Sugar and Tinnitus are definitely related. And, remember sugar isn’t always in sugar form. Any carb is basically a sugar! It’s everywhere, in foods and drinks.
Alcohol
Alcohol and Tinnitus are connected as well. If your Tinnitus comes on right after or around the time you consume that beer, wine or your choice of poison, your daily drink could be to blame.
Marijuana
With marijuana becoming legal in many states, recreational use is growing by the day. But, cannabis might be causing your ringing in the ears to come and go. THC in particular has been linked to making Tinnitus worse. Read more about marijuana and Tinnitus here.
Smoking
Smoking is also related to blood pressure changes. Blood pressure changes can, you guessed it, make your Tinnitus worse or come on. Quitting the smokes will give you a host of other health benefits as well.
When Lying Down
Does your Tinnitus come on when you lie down for the night? This could be due to medications that you take around nighttime. Or, it could be because of night time quiet that we talked about earlier. But, if you have pulsatile tinnitus that comes and goes, you might want to read this post for suggestions on how to fix that.
Medication
Have a habit of popping an aspiring everyday? That could easily be making your Tinnitus come and go. Commonly available NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory) drugs can cause Tinnitus to come and go. Your daily antidepressant can do that as well. Talk to your doctor about alternative prescriptions if you feel your medications could be the reason for Tinnitus to come and go.
Allergies
Maybe your Tinnitus comes on when you step out into the garden? Or when you eat something you are allergic to? Allergies can cause not just Tinnitus but even hearing loss. Identify allergies and minimize your exposure to them, if you can’t completely cut it off.
Jaw Problems
Do you think your Tinnitus comes on when you speak a lot? Or maybe after you eat a particularly chewy meal or after you have chewed on some gum? The ringing could be linked to your jaw. It’s called a TMJ disorder. Learn more about Tinnitus caused by jaw problems here.
Posture
This is an uncommon trigger that makes your Tinnitus come and go but it is not unheard of! Long hours of sitting at the computer or engaging in some unusual posture can lock your neck muscles in a weird way. This can then tighten your jaw muscles which then affects your ears. This is why some people are able to experience Tinnitus relief from Chiropractors.
We hope we were able to help you identify one or more triggers that could be causing your Tinnitus to come and go. This post about Tinnitus spikes might also be able to help you further.
