There are a wide variety of reasons for muffled hearing. For the majority of individuals, it’s a temporary experience. In other cases, muffled hearing can be a harbinger of more substantial hearing-related problems. In part, that’s because, aside from sudden hearing loss, hearing loss is usually not a condition that progresses suddenly. Symptoms build gradually and over time.
One of the first symptoms of gradually progressing long-term hearing loss is the feeling that your hearing is muffled. However, it’s important to point out that muffled hearing in and of itself isn’t always a sign of permanent hearing loss. Every year millions of individuals experience muffled hearing.
Maybe you’re wondering if you should be concerned about your muffled hearing. The answer depends on several factors. Finding the best treatment for your muffled hearing depends on understanding the underlying cause. Additional damage can be prevented and your hearing can get back to normal with some prompt solutions. You will be able to go 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?
When sound can’t move through your outer, middle, and inner ear in a normal way, your hearing can sound muffled. This leads to a noticeable drop in sound quality. In most instances, people with muffled hearing can still hear some or even most things, but everything sounds quieter or jumbled. Discerning speech and language can be particularly challenging.
Your ears will often also feel clogged up when your hearing is muffled. Sometimes, when you’re taking a flight or have a cold you may experience this feeling. This clogged feeling, however, doesn’t always come along with muffled hearing.
What causes muffled hearing?
There are lots of possible causes of muffled hearing. In order to develop the correct course of treatment, it’s essential to establish the root cause. Some of the most common causes of muffled hearing include the following:
- Meniere’s Disease: When you have Menier’s Disease, you suffer from persistent hearing and balance issues. Over time, this disease can cause tinnitus, loss of hearing (frequently starting with muffled hearing), and dizziness or loss of balance. There is no cure for Meniere’s Disease, but symptoms can be treated.
- Earwax buildup: Normally, earwax is a good thing. The health of your ear canal relies on the generation of earwax. However, excessive earwax can eventually cause muffled hearing (or even hearing loss). Try a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide in your ear to loosen things up. Never try to dislodge stuck earwax with a cotton swab which will only push the wax further up into the ear canal. If the problem continues, come in and see us.
- Infection: In some cases, problems like infections (including sinus infections or ear infections) can result in swelling in the ear canal (this is particularly true with ear infections). This will decrease your ability to hear by causing the ear canal to swell shut. Muffled hearing symptoms brought on by infections will typically clear up after the root illness has been treated.
- Sensorineural hearing loss: Hearing loss which results from noise-related damage can sometimes result in muffled hearing. This form of hearing loss is, unfortunately, usually irreversible. One of the very first recognizable symptoms is muffled hearing; but damage to your stereocilia has likely already happened by the time you notice the distorted sounds. You should seek out treatment rapidly to avoid your hearing growing significantly worse quickly.
- Age-associated hearing loss: As you age, your hearing can diminish as a result of natural causes. After all, there are few senses as acute when you are 80 as they were when you are 18. This natural diminishing in your ability to hear can cause muffled hearing over time.
- Travel: The changing air pressure associated with air travel can often cause a plugged feeling in the ear, followed closely by muffled hearing. In most cases, this feeling will pass rapidly and your hearing will go back to normal.
Depending on the underlying cause, the precise symptoms of muffled hearing will vary.
Can muffled hearing be cured?
Not all forms of muffled hearing have a cure. The treatment for your muffled hearing will change depending on the underlying cause. For instance, if excess earwax buildup is the main cause, we may use specific tools to help you clear out your ear canal. Antibiotics are typically prescribed if your muffled hearing is being caused by an infection.
In terms of 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 might take several forms, but the most prevalent is the use of a set of hearing aids so that you can bring clarity to what you hear.
With hearing aids, you can continue to enjoy your day-to-day activities without hearing loss impacting your quality of life.
How to avoid muffled hearing in the first place
No matter what you do, certain kinds of muffled hearing can’t be avoided. Infections, for example, can’t always be avoided.
However, in most instances, regular hearing tests can help you avoid many of the causes of muffled hearing and identify any permanent hearing loss early. Contact us for an appointment right away.