What is sudden temporary hearing loss?
Sudden Temporary Hearing loss often happens gradually over time and can be very upsetting. You may become confused as to how or why this happened. But the good news is that temporary hearing loss can often be remedied if caught early.
Sudden hearing loss symptoms include:
- Muffled sound in ear
- Difficulty following along in conversations
- Trouble hearing amid background noise
- Difficulty hearing higher-pitched sounds
- Dizziness or balance issues
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ear)
You can lose your hearing all at once or over the course of several days. It is generally unilateral, meaning it only affects one ear. In fact, 90 percent of people who experience sudden deafness only experience symptoms in one of their ears.
What causes sudden hearing loss?
Sudden deafness or temporary hearing loss, generally occurs because the sound is not able to reach the inner ear from the middle ear. This will happen if there is something blocking the neural pathway and it can’t continue to the brain due to damage to the inner ear.
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Some common causes of sudden hearing loss are obstruction due to ear wax, ototoxic medications, head trauma, ear infections or loud noises.
You may be tempted to wait it out, but you need to see your hearing instrument specialist right away if you’re experiencing sudden hearing loss. If you treat your sudden hearing loss early then you will get a better chance at regaining your hearing faster.