There are a wide variety of reasons for muffled hearing. For the majority of people, it’s a temporary experience. In other instances, muffled hearing can be a harbinger of more significant hearing-related problems. In part, that’s because, outside of sudden hearing loss, hearing loss is usually not a condition that develops suddenly. Symptoms show up gradually over a long period of time.
Often, one of the first noticeable symptoms is a sense that sounds feel muffled, distorted, or quieter. Muffled hearing, however, isn’t necessarily a sign that you’re developing long-term hearing loss. Indeed, millions of people experience muffled hearing every year.
Maybe you’re wondering if you should be concerned about your muffled hearing. Generally, the answer tends to vary. Finding the best treatment for your muffled hearing depends on recognizing the root cause. Timely solutions can in some cases help get your hearing back to normal, or, at least reduce possible harm. 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.
What is muffled hearing?
When sound can’t travel through your outer, middle, and inner ear in a normal way, your hearing can sound muffled. This results in a noticeable drop in sound quality. Hearing won’t be totally gone with muffled hearing but things will sound distorted and quieter. Discerning speech and language can be particularly challenging.
In many cases, and depending on the root cause, muffled hearing can be combined with a sense of fullness or stuffiness in your ears. Lots of people have experienced this feeling temporarily, for instance, when they have a cold or when they are taking a flight. Muffled hearing isn’t always associated with this feeling, however.
What causes muffled hearing?
There are lots of potential causes of muffled hearing. Determining the underlying cause of your muffled hearing can be essential in developing an effective treatment plan. Here are a few of the most prevalent causes:
- Meniere’s Disease: Meniere’s Disease is a chronic balance and hearing problem. Over time, this disease can trigger tinnitus, loss of hearing (often starting with muffled hearing), and dizziness or loss of balance. There is no cure for Meniere’s Disease, but symptoms can be treated.
- Infection: In some cases, problems like infections (such as sinus infections or ear infections) can result in swelling in the ear canal (this is especially true with ear infections). This will decrease your hearing ability by causing the ear canal to swell shut. Once the root infection goes away, any swelling it caused should also clear.
- Earwax buildup: Normally, earwax is a good thing. It helps keep your ear canal healthy. But muffled hearing (and in some cases even hearing loss) can be the result of excess earwax. Try a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide in your ear to loosen things up. Never attempt to free stuck earwax by using a cotton swab which will only push the wax further up into the ear canal. If the issue lingers, come in and talk to us.
- Sensorineural hearing loss: In some cases, muffled hearing can be the consequence of noise-related hearing loss. This kind of hearing loss is, sadly, generally permanent. Muffled hearing is often one of the very first detectable symptoms; but by the time you detect the distorted sounds, damage to your stereocilia has probably already happened. If you don’t find treatment quickly, your hearing will rapidly get worse.
- Hearing loss related to age: As you get older, your hearing can diminish due to natural causes. After all, there are few senses as acute when you are 80 as they were when you are 18. Over time, muffled hearing can be the result of this natural decline of your ability to hear.
- 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 go away rapidly and your normal hearing will be restored.
The exact 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 treatment for your muffled hearing will change depending on the root cause. For instance, if excess earwax buildup is the principal cause, we may use specific tools to help you clean out your ear canal. Antibiotics are frequently prescribed if your muffled hearing is being caused by an infection.
Symptom management is generally the strategy 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. This might take several forms, but the most common is using a set of hearing aids in order to bring clarity to what you hear.
With hearing aids, you can continue to enjoy your daily activities without hearing loss effecting your quality of life.
Avoiding muffled hearing
No matter what you do, certain forms of muffled hearing can’t be prevented. Infections, for instance, can’t always be avoided.
Getting your hearing examined, however, can help detect any causes of muffled hearing and can help prevent any long-term hearing loss that may be developing. These examinations can help you stay on top of your hearing health and get treatment promptly.
