Causes and Treatments for Temporary Hearing Loss

Losing your sense of hearing is never a pleasant experience, but the good news is that there are many types of hearing loss that are temporary.

The cause of temporary hearing loss and treatment

Multiple factors can cause temporary hearing loss.

• Earwax buildup. Earwax buildup is one of the most common causes of temporary hearing loss. When earwax blocks the ear canal, it prevents the transmission of sound waves to the inner ear, causing auditory signals to become muffled. Earwax impaction occurs when so much ear wax builds up that it gets stuck in the ear, completely occluding the eardrum. Using cotton buds to clear out the ears is a common cause of compaction, although it can also result from hearing aid usage.
  • Treatment. Fortunately, it's easy to treat impacted earwax. You can either use an over-the-counter solution to flush the wax out or, if that fails, see your audiologist. Audiologists have special earwax-clearing solutions and tools to remove excessive wax. Do not attempt to remove earwax with cotton buds, as this may worsen the problem and cause damage to the eardrum. Also, do not use ear candling methods. These can lead to damage to the sensitive tissue around the ear and can burn the delicate lining of the ear canal.
• Trauma. Sudden changes in pressure can damage or perforate the eardrum, a delicate sheet of tissue that divides the inner and outer ear. The eardrum will usually repair, but the damage and repair process can lead to pain.
  • Treatment. Audiologists will recommend that you leave the ear to repair naturally, avoiding any loud noises or changes in pressure that could affect the recovery process.
• Ototoxic Medication. The word “ototoxic” means “toxic to the ears.” Many medications are ototoxic and can cause damage to the sensitive cells in the ear.
  • Treatment. If you experience hearing loss after taking certain medications, then speak to your doctor. Often there are alternatives that will not lead to hearing complications.
• Noise-induced hearing loss. Noise-induced hearing loss can be a scary experience, but it’s actually quite common. Noise-induced hearing issues occur when you are exposed to loud noises for an extended period, causing temporary damage to the structure of the ear. Standing next to loudspeakers at concerts, traveling on a noisy subway and listening to music through headphones at maximum volume can all induce noise-related hearing loss. You can also experience this kind of hearing loss if you’ve failed to use adequate ear protection while in noisy environments at work.
  • Treatment. The good news is that treating noise-induced hearing loss is relatively straightforward. Most of the time, this kind of hearing loss will disappear when you avoid loud noises for a time. If you’re not able to do this (because being in noisy environments is a part of your job), then make sure that you use ear protection. Earmuffs and plugs are incredibly effective at blocking out damagingly high levels of noise, keeping your ears safe.

If you're worried that you may have temporary hearing loss, contact your audiologist.