Because you’re so hip, you rocked out in the front row for the entire rock concert last night. It’s enjoyable, although it’s not good for your ears which will be ringing when you get up the next morning. (That part’s not so fun.)
But what if you can only hear out of one ear when you wake up? The rock concert is probably not to blame in that situation. Something else must be going on. And when you experience hearing loss in one ear only… you may feel a little concerned!
What’s more, your hearing might also be a little out of whack. Normally, your brain is processing information from both ears. So only getting information from a single ear can be disorienting.
Why hearing loss in one ear causes problems
In general, your ears work together. Just like having two front facing eyes helps you with depth perception and visual sharpness, having two outward facing ears helps you hear more accurately. So hearing loss in one ear can wreak havoc. Here are a few of the most prominent:
- You can have trouble identifying the direction of sounds: Someone calls your name, but you have no clue where they are! When your hearing disappears in one ear, it’s really challenging for your brain to triangulate the source of sounds.
- When you’re in a loud setting it becomes extremely difficult to hear: Loud settings such as event venues or noisy restaurants can become overwhelming with just one ear working. That’s because your ears can’t make heads or tails of where any of that sound is originating from.
- You can’t tell how loud anything is: Just like you need both ears to triangulate direction, you sort of need both ears to determine how loud something is. Think about it this way: You won’t be sure if a sound is far away or simply quiet if you don’t know where the sound is coming from.
- Your brain gets exhausted: When you lose hearing in one ear, your brain can get extra tired, extra fast. That’s because it’s trying desperately to make up for the lack of hearing from one of your ears. And when hearing loss abruptly occurs in one ear, that’s especially true. This can make a lot of activities during your daily life more exhausting.
So how does hearing loss in one ear happen?
Hearing professionals call muffled hearing in one ear “unilateral hearing loss” or “single-sided hearing loss.” Single sided hearing loss, unlike common “both ear hearing loss”, usually isn’t caused by noise related damage. This means that it’s time to look at other possible causes.
Here are some of the most common causes:
- Other infections: One of your body’s most common reactions to an infection is to swell up. It’s just what your body does! Swelling in reaction to an infection isn’t always localized so hearing loss in one ear can result from any infection that would trigger inflammation.
- Meniere’s Disease: Meniere’s Disease is a degenerative hearing condition that can lead to vertigo and hearing loss. It’s not unusual with Menier’s disease to lose hearing on one side before the other. Hearing loss in one ear along with ringing is another typical symptom of Meniere’s Disease.
- Ruptured eardrum: A ruptured eardrum will usually be extremely obvious. Objects in the ear, head trauma, or loud noise (among other things) can be the cause of a ruptured eardrum. When the thin membrane separating your ear canal and your middle ear has a hole in it, this type of injury occurs. The outcome can be quite painful, and usually leads to tinnitus or hearing loss in that ear.
- Irregular Bone Growth: In very rare cases, the cause of your hearing loss could actually be some irregular bone growth getting in the way. And when it grows in a particular way, this bone can actually impede your hearing.
- Ear infections: Swelling usually happens when you’re experiencing an ear infection. And this swelling can obstruct your ear canal, making it difficult for you to hear.
- Acoustic Neuroma: While the name might sound pretty frightening, an acoustic neuroma is a benign tumor that grows on the nerves of the inner ear. While it isn’t cancerous, necessarily, an acoustic neuroma is still a significant (and possibly life-threatening) condition that you should consult your provider about.
- Earwax: Yup, occasionally your earwax can get so packed in there that it blocks your hearing. It’s like using an earplug. If you have earwax plugging your ear, never try to clean it out with a cotton swab. A cotton swab can just cause a bigger and more entrenched issue.
So how should I address hearing loss in one ear?
Treatments for single-sided hearing loss will vary depending on the underlying cause. Surgery may be the best option for certain obstructions such as tissue or bone growth. Some issues, like a ruptured eardrum, will usually heal by themselves. Other problems like excessive earwax can be easily cleared away.
In some circumstances, however, your single-sided hearing loss might be permanent. And in these situations, we will help by prescribing one of two hearing aid options:
- Bone-Conduction Hearing Aids: These hearing aids bypass much of the ear by making use of your bones to transmit sound to the brain.
- CROS Hearing Aid: This distinctive kind of hearing aid is designed specifically for individuals who have single-sided hearing loss. These hearing aids are able to detect sounds from your impacted ear and send them to your brain via your good ear. It’s quite effective not to mention complicated and very cool.
Your hearing specialist is where it all starts
If you aren’t hearing out of both of your ears, there’s likely a reason. It’s not something that should be ignored. It’s important, both for your well-being and for your hearing health, to get to the bottom of those causes. So schedule an appointment with us today, so you can start hearing out of both ears again!
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7230949/
