Typical symptoms of sudden hearing loss
It is not yet clear exactly what causes sudden hearing loss. Doctors suspect that the blood circulation in the inner ear is disturbed. This is why it is also referred to as an ear attack. Typical triggers include stress, noise, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and neck tension. Both sudden hearing loss and prolonged noise are warning signs. Although sudden hearing loss is not an emergency, it is an urgent case. This means that the faster it is treated, the better the chances of recovery. However, if it occurs at the weekend, you have until Monday to see a doctor.
Rapid treatment can help
Experts recommend infusions or injections with cortisone; injections directly into the inner ear are ideal. The active ingredient inhibits inflammation and swelling there, allowing the blood to circulate better. However, if the oxygen supply to the fine hair cells in the ear is interrupted for too long, they can die off - leading to permanent hearing loss. If cells are already damaged, the deficit can be compensated for with a hearing aid. Modern high-tech devices are almost invisible (additional payment). Important: Don't wait too long because the brain quickly forgets how to hear! Very rarely, for example after a blast trauma, a sudden hearing loss causes complete deafness. In this case, a so-called cochlear implant can be inserted into the ear (covered by health insurance).
Hearing usually returns within a few days
In 80 percent of cases, however, hearing returns on its own, but the noise does not always disappear. After three months, this tinnitus is described as chronic. Those affected can learn to block out the sounds. Re-training, which combines relaxation exercises with psychotherapy, helps them to do this. An atlas correction can also be worthwhile - it realigns the uppermost cervical vertebra and releases blockages in the blood supply.
How the ear processes sounds
What we see from the outside is just a sound funnel. It amplifies all sounds and transmits them through the auditory canal and via the eardrum to the inner ear. Because of its convoluted shape, this is also known as the cochlea, Greek for "snail". This is where the actual work takes place: Sound waves flow through hair cells and trigger electrochemical signals. These reach the brain via the auditory nerve.