Let’s pretend you go to a rock concert. You’re cool, so you spend all night up front. It’s fun, though it’s not good for your ears which will be ringing when you get up the next morning. (That part’s not so enjoyable.)
But what if you awaken and can only hear out of one ear? Well, if that’s the situation, the rock concert might not be the cause. Something else must be going on. And when you experience hearing loss in one ear only… you may feel a bit worried!
What’s more, your hearing might also be a little wonky. Normally, your brain is sorting out information from both ears. So only getting information from a single ear can be disorienting.
Why hearing loss in one ear leads to issues
Your ears basically work together (no pun intended) with each other. Your two outward facing ears help you hear more accurately, much like how your two front facing eyes help your depth perception. So when one of your ears quits working properly, havoc can result. Here are a few of the most prevalent:
- You can have difficulty identifying the direction of sounds: Somebody yells your name, but you have no clue where they are! It’s extremely difficult to triangulate the direction of sound with only one ear functioning.
- When you’re in a loud setting it becomes extremely hard to hear: Noisy places such as event venues or noisy restaurants can become overwhelming with just one ear functioning. That’s because all that sound appears to be coming from every-which-direction randomly.
- You can’t tell how loud anything is: Just like you need both ears to triangulate location, you sort of need both ears to determine how loud something is. Think about it like this: You won’t be certain if a sound is far away or just quiet if you don’t know where the sound was originating from.
- Your brain becomes exhausted: When you lose hearing in one ear, your brain can become extra tired, extra fast. That’s because it’s failing to get the complete sound spectrum from only one ear so it’s working overly hard to make up for it. And when hearing loss suddenly happens in one ear, that’s especially true. basic daily tasks, as a result, will become more exhausting.
So what’s the cause of hearing loss in one ear?
Hearing experts call muffled hearing in one ear “unilateral hearing loss” or “single-sided hearing loss.” While the more ordinary type of hearing loss (in both ears) is usually caused by noise-related damage, single-sided hearing loss isn’t. This means that it’s time to look at other possible causes.
Some of the most prevalent causes include the following:
- Abnormal Bone Growth: In really rare cases, the cause of your hearing loss could actually be some atypical bone growth getting in the way. This bone can, when it grows in a particular way, hinder your ability to hear.
- Ruptured eardrum: A ruptured eardrum will typically be very obvious. Objects in the ear, head trauma, or loud noise (among other things) can be the cause of a ruptured eardrum. And it happens when a hole is created between the thin membrane that separates your ear canal and middle ear. The result can be rather painful, and usually triggers tinnitus or hearing loss in that ear.
- Meniere’s Disease: When someone is coping with the degenerative condition called Menier’s disease, they frequently experience vertigo and hearing loss. Often, the disease progresses asymmetrically: one ear might be affected before the other. Hearing loss in one ear along with ringing is another typical symptom of Meniere’s Disease.
- Other infections: Swelling is one of your body’s most common reactions to infection. It’s just how your body responds. This reaction isn’t always localized, so any infection that triggers inflammation can lead to the loss of hearing in one ear.
- Earwax: Yes your hearing can be blocked by excessive earwax packed in your ear canal. It’s like using an earplug. If this is the case, do not reach for a cotton swab. Cotton swabs can jam the earwax even further up against the eardrum.
- Ear infections: Swelling typical results when you have an ear infection. And it will impossible to hear through a swollen, closed up ear canal.
- Acoustic Neuroma: An acoustic neuroma is a benign tumor that forms on the nerves of the inner ear and might sound a little more intimidating than it usually is. You should still take this condition seriously, even though it isn’t cancerous, it can still be potentially life threatening.
So how should I handle hearing loss in one ear?
Treatments for single-sided hearing loss will differ based upon the underlying cause. In the case of certain obstructions (like bone or tissue growths), surgery might be the appropriate option. Some problems, like a ruptured eardrum, will usually heal on their own. And still others, like an earwax based obstruction, can be cleared away by basic instruments.
Your single-sided hearing loss, in some cases, may be permanent. And in these cases, we will help by prescribing one of two hearing aid solutions:
- CROS Hearing Aid: This special type of hearing aid is designed specifically for people who have single-sided hearing loss. These hearing aids are able to detect sounds from your impacted ear and transfer them to your brain via your good ear. It’s very complex, very cool, and very effective.
- Bone-Conduction Hearing Aids: These hearing aids bypass much of the ear by using your bones to transmit sound to the brain.
Your hearing specialist is the beginning
If you can’t hear out of both of your ears, there’s most likely a reason. In other words, this is not a symptom you should be neglecting. It’s important, both for your well-being and for your hearing health, to get to the bottom of those causes. So begin hearing out of both ears again by scheduling an appointment with us.
Hebu tufanye kana kwamba unakwenda kwenye maonyesho ya muziki wa roki. Wewe ni baridi, hivyo wewe kutumia usiku wote mbele. Ni furaha, ingawa si nzuri kwa masikio yako ambayo itakuwa kupiga kelele wakati wewe kupata juu ya asubuhi ya pili. (Sehemu hiyo si yenye kufurahisha sana.) Lakini vipi ikiwa unaamka na kusikia kwa sikio moja tu? Naam, ikiwa ndivyo ilivyo, huenda tamasha la roki lisingeweza kuwa kisababishi. Lazima kuwe na jambo lingine linalotokea. Na unapopata upungufu wa kusikia katika sikio moja tu... huenda ukahuzunika kidogo! Isitoshe, huenda kusikia kwako kukasumbuka. Kwa kawaida, ubongo wako hutumia habari kutoka masikio yako yote mawili. Kwa hiyo kupata habari kutoka kwa sikio moja tu kwaweza kutatanisha. Kwa nini kupoteza kusikia kwa sikio moja husababisha matatizo Masikio yako hufanya kazi pamoja (hakuna pun iliyokusudiwa) na kila mmoja. Masikio yako mawili yanayoelekea nje yanakusaidia kusikia kwa usahihi zaidi, kama vile macho yako mawili yanayoelekea mbele yanakusaidia kuona kina. Kwa hiyo, sikio moja likiacha kufanya kazi vizuri, huenda likawa hatari. Hapa ni chache ya zaidi ya kuenea: - Unaweza kuwa na ugumu wa kutambua mwelekeo wa sauti: Mtu anapiga kelele jina lako, lakini huna wazo ambapo wao ni! Ni vigumu sana kutofautisha mwelekeo wa sauti kwa sikio moja tu linalofanya kazi. - Wakati wewe ni katika mazingira ya kelele inakuwa vigumu sana kusikia: Maeneo ya kelele kama vile matukio maeneo au mikahawa kelele inaweza kuwa overwhelming na sikio moja tu kazi. Hiyo ni kwa sababu sauti yote hiyo inaonekana kuwa inakuja kutoka kila-ambayo-uongozi kwa nasibu. - Huwezi kusema jinsi kitu chochote ni kubwa: Kama vile unahitaji masikio yote mawili ya triangulate eneo, wewe aina ya haja masikio yote mawili kuamua jinsi kubwa kitu ni. Fikiria kwa njia hii: Huwezi kuwa na uhakika kama sauti ni mbali au tu utulivu kama hujui ambapo sauti ilikuwa asili kutoka. Wakati unapoteza kusikia kwa sikio moja, ubongo wako unaweza kuwa uchovu zaidi, haraka zaidi. Hiyo ni kwa sababu ni kushindwa kupata kamili sauti wigo kutoka sikio moja tu hivyo ni kufanya kazi kwa bidii sana ili kufanya kwa ajili yake. Na wakati hasara ya kusikia hutokea ghafla katika sikio moja, hiyo ni kweli hasa. kazi za msingi za kila siku, kama matokeo, zitakuwa zenye kuchosha zaidi. Kwa hiyo ni nini kisababishi cha kupoteza kusikia katika sikio moja? Wataalamu wa kusikia huita kusikia kwa sauti ya chini katika sikio moja "upungufu wa kusikia wa upande mmoja" au "upungufu wa kusikia wa upande mmoja". Wakati aina ya kawaida ya upotezaji wa kusikia (katika masikio yote mawili) kawaida husababishwa na uharibifu unaohusiana na kelele, upotezaji wa kusikia wa upande mmoja sio. Hii ina maana kwamba ni wakati wa kuangalia sababu nyingine zinazowezekana. Baadhi ya sababu za kawaida ni pamoja na: - Ukuaji wa mifupa isiyo ya kawaida: Katika kesi nadra sana, sababu ya upotezaji wako wa kusikia inaweza kuwa kweli ukuaji wa mifupa isiyo ya kawaida kupata njia. Mfupa huu unaweza, unapokua kwa njia fulani, kuzuia uwezo wako wa kusikia. - Upasuaji wa utando wa sikio: Kwa kawaida utando wa sikio huonekana waziwazi. Vitu vilivyo katika sikio, jeraha la kichwa, au kelele kubwa (miongoni mwa mambo mengine) vyaweza kusababisha kuvunjika kwa utando wa sikio. Hii ni kwa sababu kuna shimo kati ya utando mwembamba unaotenganisha sikio na sikio la kati. Matokeo yanaweza kuwa yenye kuumiza, na kwa kawaida husababisha tinnitus au kupoteza kusikia katika sikio hilo. Ugonjwa wa Meniere: Wakati mtu anashughulika na hali ya degenerative inayoitwa ugonjwa wa Meniere, mara nyingi hupata vertigo na upotezaji wa kusikia. Mara nyingi, ugonjwa huo huendelea kwa njia isiyo sawa: sikio moja laweza kuathiriwa kabla ya lingine. Kupoteza kusikia katika sikio moja pamoja na kupiga kengele ni dalili nyingine ya kawaida ya ugonjwa wa Meniere. - Maambukizo mengine: Uvimbe ni moja ya athari za kawaida za mwili wako kwa maambukizo. Ni jinsi tu mwili wako unavyoitikia. Mmenyuko huu si wa mahali fulani kila wakati, kwa hiyo maambukizo yoyote yanayochochea uvimbe yanaweza kusababisha kupoteza kusikia katika sikio moja. - Earwax: Ndiyo, kusikia kwako kunaweza kuzuiwa na earwax nyingi sana iliyo katika mfereji wa sikio. Ni kama kutumia earplug. Ikiwa ndivyo ilivyo, usichukue kitambaa cha pamba. Vipodozi vya pamba vinaweza kuzuia madoa ya masikio yasipande hata zaidi kwenye utando wa masikio. - Maambukizo ya sikio: Uvimbe ni matokeo ya kawaida wakati una maambukizo ya sikio. Na itakuwa vigumu kusikia kupitia mfereji wa sikio uliofurika na kufungwa. Neuroma ya sauti (Acoustic Neuroma) ni uvimbe wa kawaida unaojulikana kama 'Acoustic Neuroma' ambao hutokea kwenye neva za sikio la ndani na unaweza kuonekana kuwa na hatari zaidi kuliko kawaida. Bado unapaswa kuchukua hali hii kwa uzito, hata ingawa si kansa, bado inaweza kuwa hatari kwa maisha. Ni nini kinachohitajika ili kupunguza upotezaji wa kusikia kwa sikio moja? Matibabu ya kupoteza kusikia kwa upande mmoja yatatofautiana kulingana na kisababishi. Katika kesi ya vizuizi fulani (kama vile ukuzi wa mifupa au tishu), upasuaji waweza kuwa chaguo linalofaa. Matatizo fulani, kama vile kuvunjika kwa utando wa sikio, kwa kawaida hupona yenyewe. Na bado wengine, kama vile kizuizi cha mdomo, wanaweza kuondolewa kwa kutumia vifaa vya msingi. Kupoteza kusikia kwa upande mmoja kunaweza kuwa ya kudumu. Kwa sababu hii, tunapendekeza kutumia njia mbili za kusaidia kusikia: CROS (Usaidizi wa kusikia wa CROS) na CROS (Usaidizi wa kusikia wa CROS) - aina maalum ya vifaa vya kusikia vilivyotengenezwa maalum kwa watu walio na upotezaji wa kusikia wa upande mmoja. Vifaa vya kusikia vinaweza kugundua sauti kutoka kwa sikio lako lililoharibika na kuipeleka kwenye ubongo wako kupitia sikio lako zuri. Ni tata sana, baridi sana, na yenye ufanisi sana. - Vifaa vya kusikiliza vinavyotumia mifupa: Vifaa hivyo vya kusikiliza hupita sehemu kubwa ya sikio kwa kutumia mifupa yako kuhamisha sauti kwenye ubongo. Mtaalamu wako wa kusikia ni mwanzo Ikiwa huwezi kusikia kutoka masikio yako yote mawili, kuna uwezekano mkubwa wa sababu. Kwa maneno mengine, hii si dalili ambayo unapaswa kupuuza. Ni muhimu, kwa ajili ya ustawi wako na kwa ajili ya afya ya kusikia yako, kupata chini ya sababu hizo. Kwa hiyo, anza kusikia kwa masikio yako yote mawili tena kwa kupanga mkutano na sisi.