Muffled hearing can present for a wide variety of reasons. In the majority of cases, this condition is temporary. In other cases, muffled hearing can be a harbinger of more significant hearing-related problems. Partly, that’s because, aside from sudden hearing loss, hearing loss is typically not a condition that develops suddenly. Symptoms progress slowly and over time.
One of the earliest symptoms of gradually developing long-term hearing loss is the feeling that your hearing is muffled. However, it’s significant to point out that muffled hearing in and of itself is not always a sign of permanent hearing loss. Every year millions of individuals experience muffled hearing.
You may be wondering: when do I need to be worried about muffled hearing? The answer depends on several factors. Understanding the root cause of your muffled hearing is crucial to finding the best treatment strategy. Timely solutions can sometimes help get your hearing back to normal, or, at least reduce possible harm. You will be able to get back to enjoying the sounds of your life after you get us to help you with some successful treatments.
Muffled Hearing – what exactly is it?
Muffled hearing happens when sound is not able to move through your outer, middle, and inner ear in the way that it normally does. A rather noticeable decline in sound quality is the result. In most instances, individuals with muffled hearing can still hear some or even most things, but things sound quieter or jumbled. This might especially affect your ability to hear and understand voices and spoken language.
Your ears will frequently also feel clogged up when your hearing is muffled. Lots of people have experienced this feeling temporarily, for instance, when they have a cold or are taking a flight. This clogged feeling, however, doesn’t always come along with muffled hearing.
Causes of muffled hearing
There are lots of potential causes of muffled hearing. In order to formulate the suitable course of treatment, it’s essential to determine the root cause. Some of the most common causes of muffled hearing include the following:
- Age-associated hearing loss: As you age, your hearing can decline due to natural causes. Obviously, when you’re 80 all of your senses will be less sharp than when you were 18. Over time, muffled hearing can be the result of this normal decline of your hearing.
- Earwax buildup: Normally, earwax is a good thing. The health of your ear canal depends on the generation of earwax. But muffled hearing (and in some cases even hearing loss) can be the result of too much earwax. Try a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in your ear to loosen things up. Do not use a cotton swab to try to dislodge the earwax, as cotton swabs can compact your earwax and make the problem worse. We can help if the issue continues.
- Meniere’s Disease: When you have Menier’s Disease, you suffer from persistent hearing and balance problems. Dizziness, balance problems, tinnitus, and muffled ears will manifest over time due to this disease. The symptoms of Menier’s disease can be managed but not cured.
- Sensorineural hearing loss: In some cases, muffled hearing can be the result of noise-related hearing loss. Sadly, this form of hearing loss is usually permanent. One of the earliest noticeable symptoms is muffled hearing; but by the time you notice the distorted sounds, damage to your stereocilia has likely already taken place. If you don’t find treatment quickly, your hearing will rapidly get worse.
- Travel: The changing air pressure associated with air travel can frequently cause a feeling of fullness in the ear, followed closely by muffled hearing. Your hearing will go back to normal relatively quickly once your physical conditions return to normal.
- Infection: Sometimes, issues such as infections (including sinus infections or ear infections) can result in swelling in the ear canal (this is particularly true with ear infections). This will diminish your hearing ability by causing the ear canal to swell shut. Muffled hearing symptoms caused by infections will typically clear up after the root illness has been treated.
Depending on the underlying cause, the exact symptoms of muffled hearing will vary.
Is there a cure for muffled hearing?
Not all forms of muffled hearing have a cure. The treatment for your muffled hearing will change depending on the root cause. We may use some specialized tools to help clean out your ear canal if, for example, earwax accumulation is at the root of your muffled hearing. Antibiotics are frequently prescribed if your muffled hearing is being caused by an infection.
Symptom management is usually the approach when you’re dealing with sensorineural hearing loss rather than a cure. That’s because there’s no cure for sensorineural hearing loss. However, symptoms can be managed. There may be several strategies to this treatment including a pair of hearing aids.
With hearing aids, you can keep enjoying your daily activities without hearing loss impacting your quality of life.
Avoiding muffled hearing
Some types of muffled hearing are difficult to avoid, no matter what. For example, ear infections and sinus infections are hard to reliably avoid.
However, in most instances, routine 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 promptly.