It can be worrying and stressful to realize one day that you’re not hearing as well as you used to.
However, before you panic and call your friendly neighborhood audiologist, know that your hearing loss challenge could be a temporary issue fixed with medication or a good ear cleaning.
If you’re dealing with a sudden hearing loss, it’s crucial to get it examined as soon as you can to prevent that temporary loss from becoming permanent.
Common Causes of Temporary Hearing Loss
Temporary hearing loss can come on suddenly; if you wake up one morning and notice sounds feel more muted than before, it’s important to see an audiologist so we can determine the cause of your hearing loss challenge.
Excess Earwax:
If your ears feel plugged up, like you’re underwater, chances are that your earwax has impacted and blocked your ear canal, causing temporary hearing loss. Before you stick a cotton swab into your ear and potentially cause further damage, come and see us for a professional earwax removal appointment.
Ear Infections:
While these are more common in children, it’s possible that a bad cold can lead to an ear infection for adults, too. Swimmer’s ear is another cause of infection in the ears. If you suspect an ear infection is causing your temporary hearing loss, it’s important to visit your doctor to see if antibiotics could help.
Loud Noise Exposure:
The night after a loud concert or live event, you might head to bed with ringing ears… and wake up with muffled hearing. We’ve all been there! Too much exposure to loud noise can lead to permanent hearing loss; it’s crucial to protect your hearing with ear protection like earmuffs or earplugs.
Strenuous Exercise:
It’s true! Exercising above your current fitness level could actually trigger some hearing loss issues. While these are typically temporary, it’s important to seek out help if the symptoms persist.
Common Causes of Permanent Hearing Loss
On the other hand, permanent hearing loss is more gradual and happens over time. Quite often, we don’t realize that we’re dealing with hearing loss challenges until the loss starts to affect your day-to-day life.
If you’re concerned about whether your hearing loss is permanent, please consider the following potential causes before coming in to visit us:
Loud Noise Exposure:
Also known as presbycusis, age-related hearing loss is the number one cause of hearing loss challenges, as it happens to all of us quite naturally. As we age, our hearing cells naturally degrade, and our hearing worsens as a result.
Treating presbycusis is crucial to your overall health as you get older; hearing care can help reduce your risk of harmful falls and dementia.
Age-Related Hearing Loss:
Continuous exposure to loud noise over time can cause permanent hearing damage; this is a potential hearing loss cause for those who work around construction equipment or live events like concerts, or those who might have the volume on their car radio just a little too loud.
Noise exposure is the second most common cause of hearing loss challenges.
Disease or Infection:
Autoimmune diseases, viral infections, genetic disorders, and head trauma can all cause permanent hearing loss. Some examples include mumps or Meniere’s disease.
How Do I Treat My Hearing Loss Challenges?
With professional, personalized hearing care treatment, you can address your hearing loss challenges and get back to hearing the life you love.
For questions about hearing care or to talk to a member of our team, please feel free to request a callback and we’ll get in touch with you as soon as we can.
Don’t want to wait? Call us at (830) 360-2000 for a more immediate conversation.
