Hearing loss comes in several forms. Learning to live with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) isn’t easy for the person experiencing it or for the family who loves them. It can leave a person feeling agitated and frustrated because they cannot understand sounds clearly or can tell that a sound is present but struggle to hear what it is.
What Causes Sensorineural Hearing Loss?
To understand sensorineural hearing loss, it helps to learn a little about how sound and hearing work.
The ear has three parts: the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. Each section plays a vital role in helping you hear the world around you. When you hear a sound, such as a siren, the outer ear collects sound waves and channels them into the ear canal.
The sound waves travel through the ear canal toward the eardrum, causing it to vibrate. In the middle ear, tiny bones move in response to these vibrations and transmit the sound to the inner ear, specifically the cochlea. The cochlea contains tiny hair cells that convert sound vibrations into electrical signals.
These signals travel along the auditory nerve to the brain, which interprets them as sounds, such as a siren. When hearing loss occurs, damage to the inner ear or the auditory nerve can interfere with this process, making sounds more difficult to hear or understand.
When damage occurs to the inner ear or cochlea, it is called sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), sometimes referred to as nerve-related hearing loss. Disease, injury, or other factors can damage the tiny hair cells or neural fibers responsible for transmitting sound information. Damage to the auditory nerve can also cause SNHL.
Sensorineural hearing loss can be present at birth. It may result from genetic conditions or infections passed from mother to baby during pregnancy.
SNHL can also develop in adults or children later in life because of the following causes:
- Immune system disorders
- Infections such as measles, mumps, or scarlet fever
- Vascular or blood vessel disease
- The natural process of aging
- Exposure to excessive noise or loud working environments
- Meniere’s disease
- Use of certain medications
- Tumors
In some cases, the cause of sensorineural hearing loss is unknown.
Living with Sensorineural Hearing Loss
SNHL can affect both the loudness and clarity of sounds. The frequencies you have difficulty hearing can vary from person to person. Some people may find lower-pitched voices easier to hear than higher-pitched voices, while others may experience the opposite. When speech falls within a frequency range affected by hearing loss, it may sound muffled or unclear.
Here are a few signs that you might be experiencing sensorineural hearing loss:
- Difficulty following conversations
- Difficulty hearing in noisy environments
- Finding certain voices, including some higher-pitched voices, harder to understand
- Difficulty distinguishing high-pitched sounds
- Hearing voices that sound muffled or faint
- Difficulty understanding conversations when background noise is present
- Difficulty hearing clearly in one ear or noticing that one ear hears differently from the other
You may also experience increased sensitivity to certain sounds. Some sounds may feel uncomfortable or frustrating, and louder noises may seem overwhelming. You might frequently ask people to raise or lower their voices as you try to understand them.
You may constantly adjust the volume on your television or cellphone or find it difficult to understand what people are saying. This can be frustrating and exhausting, especially in social settings such as restaurants or large gatherings, where background noise makes conversations harder to follow. Missing out on conversations can be one of the most difficult aspects of living with SNHL.
If you find yourself participating less in conversations or avoiding social settings because your hearing is not as good as it used to be, consider visiting an audiologist for an evaluation and advice about treatment options.
How Is Sensorineural Hearing Loss Treated?
Several options may help you manage sensorineural hearing loss. However, damage to the inner ear that causes SNHL is generally permanent, and treatment depends on the underlying cause.
Hearing aids can help many people hear speech and environmental sounds more clearly. They can make conversations easier to follow, reduce the effort required to listen, and help you remain more aware of your surroundings. Although hearing aids do not cure hearing loss or restore damaged hair cells, they can help you make better use of your remaining hearing.
To determine which hearing aids are right for you, visit an audiologist. They can test your hearing, assess the severity and type of hearing loss, and develop a personalized treatment plan that may include one or more of the following options:
- Regular monitoring and hearing tests: Follow-up appointments help track changes in your hearing and determine whether your treatment needs to be adjusted.
- Medical treatment: Corticosteroids may be prescribed for certain types of sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Prompt medical evaluation is important because treatment effectiveness can depend on how quickly it begins.
- Dietary changes: A low-sodium diet may be recommended for certain conditions associated with hearing or balance symptoms, such as Meniere’s disease.
- Hearing aids: These devices amplify sounds to help improve speech understanding and everyday communication.
- Surgery: In selected cases, a procedure may be recommended to address a specific underlying cause of hearing problems.
- Implantable hearing devices: Depending on the type and severity of hearing loss, options such as cochlear implants may be considered.
If you believe someone in your life is experiencing sensorineural hearing loss, contact our office today. We are committed to helping you and your loved ones hear better. Follow this link to visit El Dorado Hearing and schedule a consultation.