Muffled hearing can happen for a large number of reasons. For most people, it’s a temporary situation. But muffled hearing can also be a sign that a more severe hearing issue is happening. That’s because, in general, hearing loss is a gradually developing condition. Symptoms develop gradually over a long period of time.
One of the earliest symptoms of slowly advancing long-term hearing loss is the feeling that your hearing is muffled. Muffled hearing, however, isn’t always an indication that you are developing long-term hearing loss. Every year millions of individuals experience muffled hearing.
Perhaps you’re wondering if you should be concerned about your muffled hearing. Generally, the answer tends to vary. Understanding the root cause of your muffled hearing is crucial to finding the best treatment plan. Timely solutions can sometimes help get your hearing back to normal, or, at least reduce possible harm. Calling us for a consultation can help you begin this process, typically resulting in successful treatments, so you can keep enjoying the sounds of your day-to-day life.
Muffled Hearing – what exactly is it?
Muffled hearing occurs when sound is not able to move through your outer, middle, and inner ear in the way that it ordinarily does. This leads to a noticeable decrease in sound quality. In most cases, individuals with muffled hearing can still hear some or even most things, but things sound quieter or distorted. This may especially affect your ability to hear and understand voices and spoken language.
In many cases, and depending on the underlying cause, muffled hearing can be associated with a sense of fullness or stuffiness in your ears. Lots of individuals have experienced this feeling for a short time, for example, when they have a cold or are taking a flight. Muffled hearing is not always combined with this feeling, however.
What causes muffled hearing?
There are a lot of potential causes of muffled hearing. Determining the root cause of your muffled hearing can be essential in establishing a successful treatment plan. Here are a few of the most prevalent causes:
- Sensorineural hearing loss: Sometimes, muffled hearing can be the outcome of noise-related hearing loss. This kind of hearing loss is, unfortunately, normally permanent. One of the first noticeable symptoms is muffled hearing; but by the time you detect the distorted sounds, damage to your stereocilia has most likely already occurred. You should find treatment rapidly to avoid your hearing getting considerably worse quickly.
- Infection: Inflammation of the ear canal will often accompany issues such as ear infections or sinus infections. This inflammation can cause your ear canal to be completely blocked, effectively diminishing your ability to hear. Muffled hearing symptoms brought on by infections will usually clear up once the root illness has been treated.
- Hearing loss related to age: As you age, your hearing can decline as a result of natural causes. Needless to say, when you’re 80 all of your senses will be less sharp than when you were 18. This natural diminishing in your ability to hear can cause muffled hearing over time.
- Meniere’s Disease: Meniere’s Disease is a chronic balance and hearing issue. Dizziness, balance issues, tinnitus, and muffled ears will manifest over time as a result of this disease. The symptoms of Menier’s disease can be managed but not cured.
- Travel: Altitude changes, like when you’re on a plane, can cause a feeling of muffled ears. In most cases, this feeling will go away rapidly and your hearing will go back to normal.
- Earwax buildup: Earwax is usually a helpful thing. The health of your ear canal depends on the generation of earwax. However, excessive earwax can eventually cause muffled hearing (or even loss of hearing). This earwax can usually be loosened up by utilizing a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide. Do not utilize a cotton swab to try to free the earwax, as cotton swabs can condense your earwax and make the issue worse. If the issue persists, come in and see us.
The precise symptoms of muffled hearing will vary depending on the underlying cause.
Can muffled hearing be cured?
Some forms of muffled hearing can’t be cured. The treatment for your muffled hearing will change depending on the underlying cause. We might use some special tools to help clear out your ear canal if, for example, earwax buildup is at the root of your muffled hearing. Muffled hearing caused by an ear infection will typically clear up once the infection has been managed, so antibiotics are frequently prescribed.
When it comes to sensorineural hearing loss, the focus changes to symptom management instead of a complete cure. That’s because there’s no cure for sensorineural hearing loss. However, symptoms can be managed. This may take several forms, but the most prevalent is the use of a set of hearing aids in order to bring clarity to what you hear.
With hearing aids, you can continue to enjoy your daily activities without hearing loss impacting your quality of life.
Avoiding muffled hearing
Some forms of muffled hearing are difficult to avoid, no matter what. Infections, for instance, can’t always be avoided.
However, in most instances, regular hearing tests can help you avoid many of the causes of muffled hearing and detect any permanent hearing loss early. These checkups can help you stay on top of your hearing health and get treatment quickly.
