Why Is My Hearing Muffled And Ringing?

At Beltone Chicago, we help people with muffled hearing or ringing in their ears. This can lead to strange feelings, such as pressure build up in your ear. Muffled and ringing ears can have several causes. If it is tinnitus, you will need a hearing specialist.

Symptoms Of Muffled Ears

The main symptom we hear of is the feeling of cotton balls stuffed in your ears. Other common symptoms of muffled hearing include ear pain, discharge, and ringing. If you have these symptoms, contact a specialist at Beltone Chicago.

A Buildup Of Earwax

Earwax is a lubricant that stops damaging items from sliding into your ear. If you feel like you have muffled hearing, you could have wax building up in your ear. If you have a muffled ear with other symptoms, you could be suffering from earwax buildup. These other symptoms could include an earache or extreme pressure.

Middle Ear Infection

There are many reasons why your hearing may become muffled. This could include a bacterial or viral infection. These infections are due to inflammation in the middle ear. This results in fluid in the eustachian tube. The eustachian tube drains fluid from your ear. It also keeps your hearing normal during most of your life. There are many kinds of middle ear infections that can clear themselves. This can take a few hours or days. Others need one of our hearing specialists to treat the infection. This helps to avoid long-term damage.

Other Causes Of Muffled Hearing

Muffled hearing can come from several issues. This can include allergies and the common cold. These result in a buildup of fluid in the ear. Another common problem is that of airplane ears. This is a condition caused by changes in pressure when flying. This can last for only a short period of time. Damage to the hairs in the ear that helps us hear can result in tinnitus. This results in ringing or humming in the ears.

If you have muffled hearing or ringing in your ears, speak with a specialist at Beltone Chicago. We can find the cause, and discuss treatment options. If you need hearing aids, we can find the right ones for you.