There are a large number of reasons for muffled hearing. For most individuals, it’s a short-term situation. But muffled hearing can also be an indication that a more serious hearing issue is taking place. Partly, that’s because, outside of sudden hearing loss, hearing loss is typically not a condition that develops suddenly. Symptoms progress gradually and over time.
Typically, one of the first detectable symptoms is a sense that sounds feel muffled, distorted, or quieter. However, it’s significant to point out that muffled hearing in and of itself is not always an indication of permanent hearing loss. Each year millions of individuals experience muffled hearing.
You may be wondering: when do I need to be concerned about muffled hearing? The answer depends on several factors. Understanding the root cause of your muffled hearing is essential to finding the correct treatment plan. Timely solutions can sometimes help get your hearing back to normal, or, at least minimize 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.
What is muffled hearing?
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 decrease in sound quality. Hearing won’t be totally gone with muffled hearing but things will sound garbled and quieter. This may especially impact your ability to hear and understand voices and spoken language.
Your ears will often also feel plugged up when your hearing is muffled. Sometimes, when you’re on a plane or suffering from a cold you might experience this feeling. This clogged feeling, however, doesn’t always come with muffled hearing.
What causes muffled hearing?
There are a lot of possible causes of muffled hearing. Figuring out the underlying cause of your muffled hearing can be essential in establishing an effective treatment plan. Some of the most prevalent causes of muffled hearing include the following:
- Sensorineural hearing loss: In some cases, muffled hearing can be the result of noise-related hearing loss. Regrettably, this kind of hearing loss is normally irreversible. One of the first noticeable symptoms is muffled hearing; but by the time you detect the distorted sounds, damage to your stereocilia has probably already happened. If you don’t seek out treatment quickly, your hearing will rapidly get worse.
- Travel: The changing altitude related to air travel can often cause a feeling of fullness in the ear, accompanied by muffled hearing. In most cases, this feeling will pass rapidly and your normal hearing will be restored.
- Meniere’s Disease: Meniere’s Disease is a chronic balance and hearing issue. 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 managed.
- Earwax buildup: Usually, earwax is a positive thing. It helps keep your ear canal healthy. But muffled hearing (and in some circumstances even hearing loss) can be the result of too much earwax. Try a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide in your ear to loosen things up. Never attempt to dislodge stuck earwax with a cotton swab which will only pack the wax further up into the ear canal. We can help if the problem continues.
- Infection: Inflammation of the ear canal will often come with issues such as ear infections or sinus infections. This swelling can cause your ear canal to swell shut, effectively reducing your ability to hear. Once the underlying infection goes away, any inflammation it caused should also clear.
- Age-related hearing loss: As you get older, your hearing can decline due to natural causes. Needless to say, when you’re 80 all of your senses will be less acute than when you were 18. Over time, muffled hearing can be the consequence of this normal diminishing of your ability to hear.
The precise symptoms of muffled hearing will vary depending on the base cause.
Is there a cure for muffled hearing?
Some types of muffled hearing can’t be cured. The base cause of your muffled hearing will determine the treatment method. We might use some special tools to help clear out your ear canal if, for instance, earwax accumulation 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 often prescribed.
When it comes to sensorineural hearing loss, the emphasis changes to symptom management as opposed to a complete cure. That’s because there’s no cure for sensorineural hearing loss. But it is possible to control symptoms. This might take several forms, but the most common is the use of a set of hearing aids so that you can bring clarity to what you hear.
With hearing aids, you can keep enjoying 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 example, can’t always be avoided.
However, in most cases, routine hearing tests can help you steer clear of many of the causes of muffled hearing and identify any permanent hearing loss early. These examinations can help you stay on top of your hearing health and get treatment quickly.
