What Causes Temporary Hearing Loss?

Hearing loss is more common than you think. You can have it at any point of your life, even at a very early age. It  holds various effects in a person’s life which can lead to much more severe conditions such as depression, dementia, and Alzheimer’s. It can be gradually happening leading to permanent hearing loss or even just be temporary. One has to know if their hearing loss is temporary and can be remedied on not. Check out these causes on what causes temporary hearing loss.

Exposure to loud noise

Our eardrums can only withstand a certain decibel of sound. Going above that level causes pain to our ears and can very much cause damage to them. Have you ever noticed that whenever you are playing loud music in your earphones or you just went to a rock band concert or maybe even an enclosed area with loud music playing, you seem to be unable to hear what people are saying?

If you are a person who isn’t exposed that often to loud noises, then your hearing may recover. However, this holds much danger to people especially those who are working in a very noisy place. This condition is known as occupational noise-induced hearing loss or ONIHL. Frequent and prolonged exposure to loud noise can be the cause of hearing loss which can become permanent.

What can you do?

There is no treatment for this but rather prevention and proper care. Stay away from loud noises. If you can’t, make sure that you are wearing any sort of ear protection such as earplugs. Turn down the volume whenever you listen to anything. Listen at a comfortable level that is not damaging to your ears.

Ear infections

Ear infections do not only make us sick but they also could affect our hearing temporarily. Infections specifically in the middle part of the ear can cause fluid build-up and put pressure on our ears. The fluid can cause so much pressure that the eardrum ruptures and leaks blood. This can be very painful but fortunately, it is self-healing once the infection is healed.

What can you do?

Antibiotics is the best cure for ear infections. It’s best to approach your doctor and tell them about your condition. This way, they can give the proper medication. Follow this according to their prescription and do not stop taking them until you feel better. This is to ensure that the infection is completely gone.

Accumulation of earwax

Earwax, also known as cerumen, is a substance that is naturally produced by our body. It may appear as if it has no use but it actually helps in cleaning out foreign elements that may enter our ear. However, helpful as it may be, it can cause a blockage in the ear canal. This can happen in one ear or in both. The blockage causes the sound waves unable to travel from the ear canal to the eardrum and thus affects your hearing.

What can you do?

While you may think that cleaning it on your own is the best idea, it’s actually not. Visit an ear doctor that does professional ear cleaning to do the job for you. It is painless  and quick!

If you are experiencing hearing loss and you’re not sure whether it is temporary or a more serious condition, we recommend that you go for a hearing consultation. Listening Lab Malaysia offers hearing test that helps determine hearing levels. You may contact us at +03 7725 9334 for more information.