Most of us are lucky to have five working senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. They help your brain make sense of the world and add richness to life. Lose one suddenly and it can be upsetting and life-changing, even if it’s only temporary.
Temporary sensorineural or conductive hearing loss is fairly common and can affect people of any age. While permanent hearing loss usually develops slowly, temporary hearing loss often comes on quickly.
If you notice mild hearing loss or any change in your hearing, get it checked so the cause can be found. Here are six common causes of temporary hearing loss and what you can do about them.
1. Exposure to Loud Noises
Have you ever stood near a loud speaker at a concert and later felt your ears were blocked? Or felt ringing after a visit to a shooting range? Even short exposures to loud sounds can cause sudden, temporary hearing loss.
Deep inside the ear are tiny hair cells that pick up sound and send signals to the brain. Loud noise can damage these hairs and reduce hearing. If the damage is permanent, it’s called noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Prevention is the best approach—wear hearing protection when you know you’ll be around loud noise.
2. Middle Ear Infection
Middle ear infections, which often fill the ear with fluid, usually affect one ear. The pressure from the fluid can reduce hearing and cause pain; these infections are especially common in children.
In severe cases, the pressure may rupture the eardrum. This can be painful, but the eardrum typically heals and hearing returns once the infection clears. See a doctor for treatment so the infection resolves and your hearing recovers.
3. Ear Canal Blockage
Few things are as uncomfortable as a blocked ear. Blockages can be caused by foreign objects, but most often they’re due to earwax (cerumen) that becomes impacted.
Earwax normally protects and cleans the ear, but when it builds up it can block sound and cause conductive hearing loss. Visit a doctor or pharmacist for safe removal or for drops that soften earwax. Once the blockage is cleared, your hearing usually returns right away.
4. Swimmer’s Ear
If your ear feels blocked, itchy, or painful after swimming, you might have swimmer’s ear, an infection of the outer ear. It often happens when water stays trapped in the ear and leads to infection.
Swimmer’s ear can cause temporary hearing loss and typically needs treatment—often antibiotic eardrops—from a medical professional. Once the infection goes, your hearing should return. To help prevent it, make sure you dry your ears well after swimming.
5. Head Trauma
Head injuries from sports, accidents, or other impacts can cause sudden, temporary hearing loss. There are several possible reasons trauma affects hearing, so it’s important to seek medical attention and get checked right away.
6. Ototoxic Medications
Some medications—such as high doses of aspirin, certain diuretics, and some chemotherapy drugs—can cause temporary hearing loss. This is called ototoxicity, which means the drug is toxic to the inner ear or the auditory nerve.
If you start a new medication and notice changes in your hearing, tell your doctor. Stopping the drug or switching to an alternative often allows hearing to return to normal.
Hearing changes can be alarming. Whether the loss is sudden or gradual, contact a doctor or hearing specialist as soon as possible. Many treatments and solutions are available to help you keep enjoying the sounds around you.
Author’s Bio
Jesse Hidalgo is the founder of Hearing Group and an experienced hearing specialist. Jesse is passionate about finding the best hearing solutions for anyone affected by hearing loss.