by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
© December, 2011
A person explained,
Recently I woke up and discovered I had lost the hearing in my left ear while I slept. I went to my local doctor, but he didn’t seem to think it was a big deal. He told me it was likely my ear plugged up from a cold and to come back in a few days if it didn’t get better. I’m scared. Ten days have gone by, and I still can’t hear out of my ear. What should I do?
Sudden hearing loss is a big deal. In fact, it is a medical emergency! Like any other medical emergency, you need treatment, and you need it now! You can’t afford to waste time if you want your hearing back.
When sudden hearing loss hits them, most people quite logically head for their primary care physician (PCP). Unfortunately, few of these doctors realize the emergency nature of a sudden hearing loss. As a result, they take a “wait and see” attitude. This is wrong!
This attitude would be comparable to your being in an accident and bleeding to death. Someone phones for the ambulance and the dispatcher tells them, “Don’t worry about it. If the bleeding doesn’t stop in a couple of days, give us another call and we’ll come out.” Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Yet that is exactly how some doctors treat sudden hearing loss.
Here is a real-life horror story to show you what goes on right here in the USA today when you are unfortunate enough to be served by an incompetent doctor. A lady relates:
On Sept. 22, 2005 I noticed that I felt weak, like I was going to die, and I noticed my hearing sense in the left ear was affected. I felt so ill I went to bed early and then awoke two hours later to the feeling that the bed was spinning rapidly through space at 1,000 mph and I was being hurled forward at the same time in summersaults. I tried to make it to the restroom to vomit, and I began falling into the walls and the doors.
It took me nearly an hour to crawl to the phone to call 911. At the ER, the doctor treated me worse than dirt. When the blood work looked pretty much OK except for an elevated RBC and blood sugar, the doctor said, “You’re not sick. Go home.”
I said, “I’ve lost my hearing in the left ear.” He retorted, “How long have you been deaf in that ear?” When I said, “Only since last night when the ‘event’ began,” he said, “Maybe you are just going to have to live with it.”
I said, “Do I really look OK?” (At that point my head was rocking and rolling and I was falling over when I’d tried to sit up. He said “I don’t know what you normally look like. Maybe this is normal for you.” I said, “People don’t normally rock and roll all over the bed like this. And my hearing just disappeared. This is serious.”
He became angry and told me I was going home in a taxi, that nothing was wrong. I refused, so he got a nurse and she said she was sent by the doctor to convince me nothing was wrong. I told her my concerns. She went and got a bold-faced administrator to come yell at me and tell me I was going home no matter what in a taxi, barefooted and in a vomit covered gown.
When this lady finally got to a competent ear specialist, 9 days had elapsed. Later, they determined she had suffered a mini-stroke that had cut off the blood supply to her inner ear. If she had been treated immediately with drugs to dissolve the clot, there was a good chance her hearing and balance could have quickly been restored. Instead she has been left with permanent total deafness in one ear. This is not the proper way to treat sudden hearing loss!
The “Golden Hour”
When I was in the “first aid business” we had what we called the “golden hour.” This “golden hour” is the time between when an accident occurs and when the person receives effective medical treatment.
If you are in an accident and receive effective treatment within one hour, you have a much better chance of surviving than if you don’t receive treatment within those first critical 60 minutes. That is why ambulances come screaming to the victim’s side, grab him and dash to the nearest trauma center or hospital. Time is often critical for survival.
In like manner, when sudden hearing loss strikes, the “golden hours” clock begins ticking. The longer you wait before you receive effective treatment, the slimmer your chances are of getting your hearing back.
Fortunately, in most cases, you have more than just one hour to seek treatment for sudden hearing loss. In fact, the “golden hour” for sudden hearing loss is ideally 24 to 48 hours but treatment may still produce some results as long as 14 days later.
You may have an ear stuffed up from a cold—or so you think—so you wait for it to clear and your hearing to return. This is just human nature. When it doesn’t get better after a few days, you head for the family doctor. In the meantime, you have let those precious “golden hours” slip away. As a result, you may have just kissed goodbye to your hearing. You could end up wearing a hearing aid or cochlear implant for the rest of your life.
Sudden hearing loss can strike anytime. “Rosalind” wrote, “I was watching TV on Friday night when suddenly I heard nothing.” Medical emergency—yes or no? Her husband assured her, “It’s probably just sinus.” Wrong answer! This was a medical emergency. By the time “Rosalind” finally received appropriate medical treatment, it was too late. Her “golden hours” had slipped away. Most of her hearing never returned. She now wears two hearing aids.
“Lisa” had a different experience. She wrote, “One Friday night I sneezed hard twice. Instantly I lost much of the hearing in my left ear.” Medical emergency—yes or no? She relates, “I thought I had somehow just plugged up my ear and that it would clear up on its own.” Wrong answer! This too was a medical emergency.
On Wednesday “Lisa” went to a general practitioner (GP) who looked in her ears, cleared out the wax, gave her a prescription for the dizziness she experienced and sent her on her way. Wrong doctor! Wrong diagnosis! Wrong treatment!
Four weeks later “Lisa” went to an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor (ENT). He found that she had a sensorineural hearing loss and put her on steroids. Better doctor. Better treatment, but much too late. The result, as she says, “was a waste of time.” Her “golden hours” had also silently slipped away.
Gaurav’s experience was different still. He had just returned from a trip to the Colorado Rockies. “The next morning when I woke up,” Gaurav wrote, “I felt a slight pressure in my right ear. It felt like it was blocked. I couldn’t hear anything out of it. I also felt some dizziness, vertigo, nausea and imbalance.” Medical emergency—yes or no? Gaurav thought this ear problem “must have been due to my recent trip and would go away by itself.” Wrong answer! This too was a medical emergency.
Two days later Gaurav saw his GP who gave him “a nasal spray and some antibiotics in case it were an infection.” Wrong doctor! Wrong diagnosis! Wrong prescription!
When he didn’t feel better after a week, Gaurav was referred to an ENT who saw him “for two minutes and said, ‘Let’s get a hearing test done.'” This hearing test, done 17 days after the sudden hearing loss, showed a profound sensorineural hearing loss. Gaurav was put on steroids and other drugs, but it was too late and little of his hearing ever came back. His “golden hours” had also slipped away.
Gaurav finally got to see a true ear specialist, a neuro-otologist, eight weeks after his hearing loss. There he was told, “If more than two weeks have passed since the sudden hearing loss, there is no point in even looking at a patient because that is the absolute limit of the window of opportunity for saving any hearing.” Finally, Gaurav had the right doctor, but much too late to do him any good.
Try This Simple Test
Knowing when a hearing loss is a medical emergency and when it is not is almost impossible for the layperson (and many doctors) to determine. For example, you have a cold. You go to bed. When you wake up the next morning you can’t hear in one ear. It feels plugged up. Medical emergency—yes or no? Who knows? The answer may be either one.
You may have an ear plugged up by the cold and the blocked feeling will go away in a few days without any treatment or medical intervention. This would be a conductive loss and would not be a medical emergency.
However, you really might have a viral infection of your inner ear whichis a medical emergency. In fact, about 25% of all the cases of sudden hearing loss develop just like this.
The problem is many people assume it is just a cold and wait to see if it will clear up. By the time they realize it isn’t clearing up, their “golden hours” have silently slipped away.
Until now, you had no way of knowing whether it was a medical emergency or not. Fortunately for you, Dr. Jeffery Harris, chief of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center has recently come up with a quick test to separate these two conditions.
Here is all you need to do, assuming that only one ear is “blocked.” Hum out loud. If you hear your voice louder in the blocked ear, the problem is congestion (fluid in your middle ear) and is probably temporary until your cold goes away and your ear clears.
However, if you hear your voice louder in your good ear, this probably indicates a viral attack causing permanent hearing loss if left untreated. If this is your case, seek treatment immediately. This is a true medical emergency and needs to be treated now if you want a chance of getting your hearing back. According to Dr. Harris, your chances of getting your hearing back with immediate treatment are greater than 50%.
If both ears are blocked equally, this little test isn’t going to work (unless you can remember how loud humming sounded before you got the cold). Thus, it is better to err on the side of caution if you have reduced hearing in both ears and seek competent medical help now. Ditto if the results of this test are inconclusive. Get to an otologist now. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Safe? or Sorry?
Don’t feel foolish bothering the specialist for something that ultimately turns out to be just a cold in your ear. He understands. He would rather you bothered him for something that turns out to be unnecessary than for you to wait and ultimately suffer permanent hearing loss.
When I was in the fire/rescue service, we used this same principle. We would treat motor vehicle accident victims as if they had broken backs/necks. We carefully immobilized them on spine boards and rushed them to the hospital. There, if the x-rays showed no fractures, we’d let them up. However, if there was a fracture, they (and we) were safe—not sorry. Their chances of recovering without paralysis was good because we treated their injuries as a medical emergency until proven otherwise. Do the same with your ears. If you don’t, you could be sorry for the rest of your life.
When sudden hearing loss strikes, get yourself to the right doctor now! Who should you go to? Forget about your primary care physician (PCP), general practitioner (GP) or family doctor. These doctors are not trained in assessing and treating sudden hearing loss. Few, if any will point you in the right direction. Result? Wasted time as your “golden hours” steadily tick away.
A better choice is to go to an otolaryngologist, commonly known as an ENT, short for Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. Unfortunately, it may take you a while to get to see one of these specialists, especially if your health insurance requires a visit to your PCP for a referral first. Furthermore, in the end, an ENT may not give you appropriate treatment either. Why? Isn’t he an “ear specialist”? You might be surprised to learn that even though an ENT specializes in conditions of the head and neck, he actually spends very little time on ear problems. One otologist I spoke to estimated that ENTs only spend about 5% of their time on ear problems.
If you experience a sudden hearing loss, you need to see the true ear specialist—an otologist. These doctors go by various names—otologist, neurotologist (sometimes spelled neuro-otologist) or oto-neurologist—but these are basically all the same. They are doctors who only treat ear problems—especially problems in your inner ear. These doctors have the best chance of helping you regain your hearing.
To quickly find an otologist or neurotologist near you click on the article title “Finding the Right Doctor for Sudden Hearing Loss and Other Ear Problems” and read or scroll down to the heading “Finding an Otologist (Neurotologist).” Follow the directions given there.
You Need to Take Charge
Just getting to see an otologist within 24 to 48 hours can be next to impossible. Gaurav writes, “We must be kidding ourselves if we say that treatment for sudden hearing loss should be started within 24 to 48 hours. With the referral system that we have here [Canada], it is next to impossible. First you see a GP who refers you to an ENT which could take weeks or months. The ENT then asks for you to take a hearing test that takes a week. By that time, it is much too late and irreversible hearing loss as already occurred.”
We need to change the system and drastically shorten the delay before effective treatment if people with sudden hearing loss are to be given a chance to save their hearing. We need immediate access to otologists in such cases. It can be done. Here’s what one lady did.
Several months ago I received an email that read, “I suffered sudden hearing loss 10 days ago. It was immediate and profound. My doctor put me on a corticosteroid for one week. I think the time has come to be more proactive about helping myself. Could you suggest the best place to go for diagnostic help and treatment? Thanks. Marcia.”
I immediately wrote Marcia back, urging her to get effective help immediately as her “golden hours” were fast running out. In my email I wrote, “If I had your condition and could go anywhere, I’d head for the House Ear Institute (HEI) in Los Angeles.” I gave her the link to the HEI. That was Friday morning.
When she received my email, Marcia immediately emailed the House Ear Institute. One of the doctors there received her email Friday evening about 8:30. Now here’s the good part. This doctor (bless his heart) recognized how critical the time was—11 days had already passed—and Marcia needed attention immediately if anything was going to help her regain her hearing.
He phoned her—clear across the country—and told her he would see her if she flew to Los Angeles, but warned her that it might be too late by the time she got there. However, he knew a specialist that lived close to her and urged her to call him immediately.
She protested that it was now close to midnight on a Friday. No specialist would do anything until Monday at the earliest. The HEI doctor just said, “Call!”
Marcia phoned this specialist in her area, and to her surprise, this otologist got her on the right medication that very night! No fooling around! No waiting!
Later, this same doctor put a micro-catheter in her ear so the drug could be administered right to the place where it is needed, since high doses of steroids are bad for the body as a whole. In addition, he tried a relatively new procedure called apheresis where certain antibodies and other things are filtered out of the blood in an attempt to restore her hearing.
Fast-forward four months. A couple of days ago I received an email from Marcia. She was all excited. No, her hearing hasn’t come back—she still has a profound loss, but her comprehension (discrimination) has dramatically increased to 72% so she will be fitted with a hearing aid next week!
Who knows what might have happened if Marcia had sought out the best treatment immediately instead of letting her doctor fool around for 10 days before she took charge.
Will you get your hearing back if you get to an otologist within those “golden hours”? There are no guarantees. You may, or you may not. Doctors still don’t know many of the answers to the causes and treatment of sudden hearing loss. What you will know, however, is that you have given yourself the best chance to restore as much of your hearing as is humanly possible. What more could you do?
When I was at work someone slammed a locker next to my ear, leaving it ringing. I haven’t been able to hear out of it since. I’m definitely going to go get it checked out as soon as I possibly can! Thank you for this informative article!
Same with me.when I was 23 I just found out i could not hear from my right ear. But the doctor said I was going to have fever and that’she why I felt like fainting. So they just gave me some medicine and asked me to bed rest. After 2 days since nothing has changed I left the hospital and channel ent doctor. But it was too late and now i’my suffering from profound hearing loss in my right year. It seems like people including doctors are not aware of this as other illnesses.
On 2/28/2017, I suffered Sudden Hearing Loss Syndrome. This article persuaded me to pursue immediate medical attention while I was still within my “Golden Hours”.
The fast treatment, and the prayers friends and family offered me, resulted in me regaining nearly all of my hearing, and still have the possibility of regaining that last little bit.
Thank you very much for this article, it has truly helped save my hearing.
I suffered hearing loss and loud ringing in my left ear 36 hours ago. My general Doc put me on anti biotics and mucinex on day one but then also gave me steroid pills for filling if situation did not get better by day 2. Ive now started Steroid pills but its a Saturday and no ENT’s are available. WHAT SHOULD I DO? GO TO EMERGENCY ROOM? By the time I see an ENT it will be Monday morning. more than 72 hours after initial loss of hearing. Thanks for any advice!!
Hi Anthony:
It’s hard to give advice when I don’t have a clue what you situation really is. For exiample, why did you need antibiotics? What antibiotics did you take? How do you know the anti-biotics did your ears in and not some other factor?
Cordially,
Neil
I am not sure when and how it occured, but I am suffering from mild hear loss in my right ear. It can be an aftermath of flu but I am uncertain of the exact time. I feel I hear somewhat “low” from my right ear as compared to left ear. But there is no sign of any pain. Sometimes the effected ear feels more itchy but its never painful neither had I felt dizziness or imbalance. One thing is worth mentioning, when I clean earwax from cotton bud, it appears darker (brownish) in the effected ear as compared to normal (yellowish), and wax buildup is also higher in the effected ear.
The condition was not so disturbing, so I did not consult any specialist, but now as it has been more than 6 months, I just read this article and its seriously alarming.
Can my condition just be an excessive wax buildup, and clearing of wax with some eardrops would help?
Also, please tell me, is there a chance that the damage could get worse?
I’m really worried.
Hi Ms. Zia:
It’s quite possible that excess earwax is blocking some of your hearing. so it would be a good idea to go to your specialist and have your ears cleaned out. It’s also possible that the darker wax indicates that you may have an ear infection on that side. That’s why I suggest going to in your specialist rather than using eardrops to try and clear out the wax.
Assuming your hearing loss is due to earwax, there is no reason to panic.
Cordially,
Neil
Sir,
I have left ear hear problem in 2008 due to 11000 ft location and very cold situation. Now I lost hearing from left ear? What should I do?
Hi Prakash:
Why did the cold, high elevation cause you hearing loss? I’ve not heard of that before. Perhaps there was another factor.
When you have a sudden hearing loss, the best thing to do is see an ear specialist and see what he thinks.
Cordially,
Neil
I swam in cold water on Monday night. On Tuesday, I noticed hearing degradation (about -40db) from 443 to 969 Hz in right ear. On Wed night, I went swimming again and did more strenuous swim than normal. Hearing loss expanded to 220 to 987 Hz. A note A5 880Hz would sound like a distorted B5 987 Hz. On Thursday afternoon 5pm, -30db loss range increased to 1174Hz. By 11pm, -90db from 338 to 1243 Hz. On Friday morning, total loss in right ear. 2:30pm saw Otology doctor and got a shot of dexamethasone in mid ear and prescription of Prednisone for 3 weeks. I forgot to mention I had a history of hand numb, light face numb after meal or reading too much. Could my SSHL be related to lack of oxygen? It is Sat morning, 4 days since the initial hearing loss. What more can be done? HBOT? Blood thinner? Did I miss the golden hour?
Hi Hobbist:
I’m wondering whether your symptoms are the result of your neck (especially your C1 and C2 vertebrae) being out of proper alignment. Numbness is from a nerve being pinched. If the C1 and C2 are not in proper alignment, it could also affect your hearing. When the nerves are pinched, they don’t send the proper signals to your body (and ears) and thus you can end up with all sorts of problems. And vertebrae out of alignment can also cause restricted blood flow–so it could all be related.
If I were in your shoes, I’d go to an upper cervical spine chiropractor and make sure everything is in proper alignment.
Another possibility is a virus got the upper hand from the cold water. But what you describe doesn’t really seem like a viral attack. In any case, getting the Dexamethasone and Prednisone in a timely fashion should help.
Has any of your hearing come back in the past few days?
Cordially,
Neil
I have a slight hearing loss in my right ear. When I rub my fingers together near my right ear I don’t hear anything but when I do the same thing to my left I hear the sounds of my fingers rubbing together. How I know it isn’t total hearing loss in my right is because when I rubbed my finger over my ear I could hear it Well.
It has been like this for two weeks. I waited a few days to see if it’d get better, when it didn’t after a week I told my mom about it, and tomorrow we’ll be going to the doctor. I want another opinion on what you think it could be beforehand though.
I sometimes sleep with my ear on my Palm, and recently I washed my hair in an avc (Apple cider vinegar) wash. Could any of that have affected it in this way?
Hi Jay:
It seems you have more than a slight hearing loss, but you’ll soon find out exactly how bad your hearing is.
One possibility that is easy to fix is that you have a lot of wax in the one ear so you can’t hear well with it. So that’s something to check out before doing any hearing testing.
I don’t see that the apple cider vinegar did any harm, nor sleeping with your ear in your palm.
Let me know what you find out tomorrow and we can go from there.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Neil, I had been corresponding with you last week and you had asked me some questions on 2/5 and I replied but did not receive any further replies from you so I am not sure if you received my info,
I had replied that I did have all those test (air & bone) and also the written note from the ENT stated: Mild to severe sensorinueral loss from 2000 to 8000 hz (70 db at 8000) in the left ear. Tympanometry is noted as within normal limits or WNL. And yes I started prednisone on the 12th day from when sudden hearing loss occured. I am currently on day 7 of the 14 days of the prednisone and have had no change yet. I have tinnittes and still having balance issues. I did ask the ENT if I could have Minieres and he said he did not think so, I’m not the expert but everything I have read and research points to that. Regardless how I got the SSHL, do you believe I have any chance at this point or regaining any of my hearing at least better than the 70db?
I woke up on Sun. Morning, and I noticed that I could not hear out of my right ear. No other symptoms. As of yet. I am female and 64 years old
Hi Oveta:
Sometimes it is the simplest things that can cause sudden hearing loss without any other symptoms. One is that you have wax in your ear canals and during the night it moved and completely blocked your ear canal–and voila–instant hearing loss.
If this is the case, have someone clean out your ear canals and that’s it. Your hearing instantly comes back. So that is the first thing I’d do–since you don’t have any other symptoms.
Cordially,
Neil
I woke up this morning with pain in my right ear. It feels blocked and I have felt a little dizzy.
when I woke up 4-5days ago, i realized, I cannot hear properly with my right ear! I am diabetic & also taking tablets for Cholesterol. went to Boots & gave me muffles wax to use but problem is still there. after reading all the above, I am bit concern. Should I consult a doctor? or is it a case to go to emergency Pls help
Hi Ashani:
Did you try the hum test as explained in the “Try This Test” section in this article. If not, do so–and then you will know the answer to your question.
Cordially,
Neil
I get bad eczema inside my ear canal. It makes it very itchy and wet in my ear. Sometimes I do a vinegar and rubbing alcohol rinse and it helps. This latest time it didn’t help and the next day my ear is in enormous pain, feels full of fluid and swollen inside. I think there is leftover fluid from the ear rinse in my ear. How do I get it out? I can’t hear out of my ear because of it.
Hi Ash:
Vinegar and rubbing alcohol (50/50) is a good solution. It kills fungi, but it dries the skin and this is not what you want with eczema. You might want to try virgin coconut oil as a skin moisturizer. It also has antibacterial properties. But you can’t use it if your ear canal is swollen shut.
When you say “it” feels full of fluid and swollen, are you just referring to your ear canal, or to your middle ear (behind your eardrum) or what? From your description I can’t tell, but if there is fluid behind your eardrum, you have a middle ear infection and should see a doctor for antibiotics.
If you ear canal is swollen shut with fluid trapped behind it, you need to see a doctor also.
If there is any chance that your ear drum is ruptured you also need to see a doctor–and not put anything in your ear canal as that can then get into your middle ear and cause infections and problems there.
Cordially,
Neil
Thank you so much for having such great information available to the public. Also my story quick for a bit of advice. Last week I was out of town and I ended up with a cold that gave me pinkeye sorts I was treated with antibiotics for my pinkeye and then soon after that was cleared suddenly out my ears got clogged I was taking pseudoephedrine for about three days and then I had to fly home when I flew home my ears got really clogged within five Hours I saw ENT. This ENT prescribed me prednisone and an antihistamine nasal spray. I took my first dosage 76 hours after my first experience of a clogged ear which originally was on my left and it moved to my right. Currently I’m on day three of prednisone but every time I have to take my prednisone right before I actually feel a little more clear until I take the prednisone them again. I’m not sure if this is something I should be concerned with?
Hi Carmita:
If the Prednisone is making your ears more clogged up or whatever, I’d stop taking it and see whether your ears clear up and work properly again on their own.
Cordially,
Neil
I had a sound trauma in november 2021 resulting in reaktive tinnitus and loudness hyperacusis and I am reading your books about it doing sound therapy for my hyperacusis. But today I woke up early and I had hearing loss in my right ear, very severe tinnitus like the sound og a jetplane and the feeling of fullness. Can it be sudden deafness and who should I contact or what should I do? I am worried about my hearing and whether it will come back.
Kind regards Ulla
Hi Ulla:
The first thing is to determine whether this is a middle ear (conductive) or inner ear (sensorineural) hearing loss. To do this follow the hum test in this article. Here is the pertinent quote.
“Here is all you need to do, assuming that only one ear is “blocked.” Hum out loud. If you hear your voice louder in the blocked ear, the problem is congestion (fluid in your middle ear) and is probably temporary until your cold goes away and your ear clears.
However, if you hear your voice louder in your good ear, this probably indicates a viral attack causing permanent hearing loss if left untreated. If this is your case, seek treatment immediately.”
If it is the latter, you want to go to an ENT doctor and get prescribed Prednisone (or a similar steroid) ASAP and hopefully your hearing will come back. If it is the former, then there is no need to panic. You most likely have a cold and your ear is just clogged up and things will get better once the congestion goes away.
Cordially,
Neil
Hi Neil
Thanks for your answer
I tried out the hum but I can` t hear any difference and it is not louder in one of the ears.
Maybe it will go away by itself.
My husband has written to you but he has not explaned my situation correct.
Hes name is Flemming and he asked about Meniere and we have thought of severel things going on other than reaktive tinnitus and loudness hyperacusis since I wake up with much worse tinnitus, some hearing loss and a feeling of fullness in my right ear. I had no loud sound in my bedroom that my tinnitus could react to. I sometimes hear some nature sounds or pink noise on a low level at night. So I don’t understand that I wake up this morning with a jetplanesound so loud in my rigth ear. It is better now bur I still have a feeling og fullness and don’t feel that my hearing is normal yet. And the sound in my ear still is a bit distorted.
Hi Ulla:
Since you can’t hear any difference in the hum test, we can’t use that to diagnose whether you have a conductive or sensorineural hearing loss.
There are a few reasons why you can wake up with louder tinnitus.
I explain the first one in Chapter 2 of my tinnitus book under the heading of “Louder Tinnitus Upon Waking Up”. It could be also Hypnopompic sounds, which may be somewhat similar to “Exploding Head Syndrome” (which you can read in the same chapter and the two previous headings).
The second cause I explain in the last heading in Chapter 9.
And it could be related to any drugs you are taking that cause your tinnitus to spike, especially if you take them at bedtime.
And, of course, it could be a combination of some or all of the above to some degree. When this occurs, you have to work through and treat all the possibilities. As you do this your tinnitus may improve with each treatment, or may stay the same until you finally eliminate all of them.
A feeling of fullness in your ear is either your ear is congested and clogged up, or your neck vertebrae are pinching your trigeminal nerve which enervates (runs) your Eustachian tubes.
Typically, if you have a cold, both ears feel full or clogged, but if you are a side sleeper, then the ear that is down in the pillow is the one that feels clogged the most.
If only one ear feels the fullness, then it could be your vertebrae being out of proper alignment and pinching the trigeminal nerve and causing problems in just one ear. (This is what happens when you have Meniere’s disease or one of its variations.)
Cordially,
Neil
I forgot to mention that I from time to time have exploding head syndrome and had a lot when I went to sleep yesterday evening and then woke up with the jetplane sound, some hearingloss and fullness in my right ear. Maybe there is a connection?
Hi Ulla:
I’ve never heard of “exploding head syndrome” occurring several times in close succession, but maybe it can. I’ve always thought of it as a rare, random occurrence.
Hypnagogic and hypnopompic sound occurrences can happen far more frequently.
In your case, they may all be related somehow.
Cordially,
Neil