Hearing Loss
Common Causes of Hearing Loss
Understanding the Two Main Types of Hearing Loss
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Sensorineural hearing loss (sen-suh-ree-NUR-uhl) hearing loss occurs when there is damage to the hair cells in the inner ear (cochlea), auditory nerve pathways connecting the inner ear to the brain, or the central nervous system. Common sensorineural hearing loss causes include:
- Aging
- Exposure to excessive or loud noise
- Ototoxic medications
- Bacterial infections (e.g., meningitis)
- Viral infections (e.g., measles or mumps)
- Acoustic nerve tumors (rare)
- Congenital disorder (being born with SNHL)
While this type of hearing loss is typically permanent, it can be effectively managed with hearing aids.
There are different types of sensorineural hearing loss:
- Unilateral - one ear is affected.
- Bilateral - both ears are affected.
- Asymmetrical - both ears are affected, but hearing loss is worse in one.
What Causes Sudden Hearing Loss?
Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL) or “sudden deafness” is a rapid loss of hearing that occurs instantly or over a period of 72 hours, usually affecting only one ear. While the exact cause is often unidentifiable, it’s frequently linked to viral infections, blood circulation issues in the inner ear, or head trauma.
Sudden hearing loss is a medical emergency, and you should seek immediate treatment from a healthcare professional.
Conductive Hearing Loss
Conductive hearing loss happens when sound can’t get to the inner ear. This type of hearing loss is more common in children than adults.
Common causes include:
- Earwax impaction
- Foreign object in the ear canal
- Infections in the ear canal or middle ear (Otitis Media)
- Perforation or scarring of the eardrum
- Abnormal tumors or growths
- Poor Eustachian tube function.
Unlike SNHL, conductive hearing loss isn’t necessarily permanent, unless left untreated. Treatment depends on the underlying condition and may include medications or surgery. If hearing is impacted by earwax or a foreign object, removing it can restore hearing. Eardrum damage can heal on its own over time, but abnormalities, such as tumors or growths, typically require surgery.
Mixed Hearing Loss
If you have both sensorineural and conductive hearing loss, it’s known as mixed hearing loss.
Outlook and treatment depend on what’s contributing to mixed hearing loss. Resolving issues such as earwax buildup or infections can improve hearing. However, causes of sensorineural hearing loss are usually irreversible and may require hearing aids or cochlear implants.
Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder
Auditory neuropathy is a rare, congenital disorder that affects hearing. Sound can enter the ear normally, but the inner ear disrupts the nerve impulses that reach the brain. As a result, the brain has trouble interpreting sounds.
While there is no known cure, hearing aids, cochlear implants, speech therapy, or frequency-modulating (FM) listening devices can help some people.1
What Causes Hearing Loss?
While aging, loud noise exposure, infections, and injuries can directly cause hearing loss, several other risk factors also increase the likelihood of developing it:
- Heredity. Approximately 60% of people with congenital hearing loss have a genetic disorder that contributes to their condition.2
- Diabetes. 54% of people with diabetes have hearing loss, and over 30% of those with prediabetes have hearing loss.3
- Smoking. Hearing loss is more likely if you smoke, but the risk can decrease over time after you quit.
- Hypertension. Because the inner ear is sensitive to blood pressure, hypertension is associated with an increased risk of hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo.
Environmental & Lifestyle Factors
How Does a Loud Noise Damage Hearing?
When sound waves are too loud, they force the microscopic hair cells in the inner ear to bend or break. Over time, these cells die off and cannot regenerate. When that happens, these cells cannot send auditory information to the brain. Prolonged exposure to loud sounds leads to noise-induced hearing loss. For many, this first manifests as a loss of the ability to hear high-frequency sounds.
- 115 dBA - Leaf Blower - 30 seconds to damage
- 100 dBA - Music in Headphones - 15 minutes to damage
- 97 dBA - Motorcycle - 30 minutes to damage
- 94 dBA - Electric Drill - 30 minutes to damage
- 91 dBA - Hair Dryer - 2 hours to damage
- 90 dBA - Lawn Mower - 2 hours to damage
- 88 dBA - Heavy City Traffic - 4 hours to damage
Do Earbuds Cause Hearing Loss?
Earbuds themselves do not cause hearing loss; however, listening to music at high volume for extended periods can damage your hearing. But that doesn’t mean you have to stop listening to your favorite music!
Here’s a good rule of thumb: keep earbud volume at or below 60% of maximum and limit listening to 60 minutes at a time.
Noise-induced hearing loss doesn’t just affect the ears; it could also affect the brain’s ability to recognize speech.
Can Smoking Cause Hearing Loss?
Smoking can increase the likelihood of hearing loss, although researchers are still working to understand the direct cause. In a study that followed 50,000+ Japanese workers, smokers were up to 70% more likely than nonsmokers to develop high-frequency hearing loss. Additionally, the study found smoking increased the risk of low-frequency hearing loss by up to 40%.4
Medical Conditions and Medications
Diseases That Cause Hearing Loss
There are several viral and bacterial infections, as well as systemic diseases that cause hearing loss, such as:
- Ménière’s disease
- Meningitis
- Measles
- Mumps
- Autoimmune inner ear diseases
Can Otitis cause hearing loss?
How Do Ototoxic Drugs Affect Hearing?
Certain prescription and over-the-counter medications are ototoxic, toxic to the ear. These drugs can damage the sensory cells of the inner ear, leading to hearing loss, balance issues or tinnitus.
Read our guide to ototoxic drugs and consult your doctor to discuss a suitable alternative.
Does Tinnitus Cause Hearing Loss?
No, tinnitus does not cause hearing loss. Rather, tinnitus is a common symptom of underlying hearing loss or ear damage. If you're experiencing tinnitus, we highly recommend scheduling a comprehensive hearing evaluation.
Hearing Loss FAQs
Does diabetes increase the risk of hearing loss?
How does Meniere’s disease affect hearing loss?
Can meningitis cause hearing loss?
Can a stroke cause hearing loss?
Can MS cause hearing loss?
Can COVID cause hearing loss?
Can stress cause hearing loss?
Can TMJ cause hearing loss?
Can a sinus infection cause hearing loss?
Protect Your Hearing Today
Identifying the root cause of your hearing loss is the first step toward reclaiming your quality of life. Whether you are noticing early signs of hearing loss or want to protect the hearing you have, Amplifon Hearing Health Care can help you navigate your options.
Use our free Benefit Checker to understand your current insurance coverage. Then, request an appointment at a nearby location.
Sources
1. Cleveland Clinic. “Sensorineural Hearing Loss.” Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/sensorineural-hearing-loss
2. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. “Sudden Deafness.” Retrieved from https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/sudden-deafness
3. National Library of Medicine. “Conductive Hearing Loss.” Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK563267/
4. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. “Mixed Hearing Loss.” Retrieved from https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/mixed-hearing-loss/
5. Better Health Channel. “Hearing loss – auditory neuropathy.” Retrieved from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/hearing-loss-auditory-neuropathy
6. Boston Medical Center. “Genetic Hearing Loss.” Retrieved from https://www.bmc.org/patient-care/conditions-we-treat/db/genetic-hearing-loss
7. American Diabetes Association. “Diabetes and Hearing Loss.” Retrieved from https://diabetes.org/about-diabetes/complications/hearing-loss/diabetes-and-hearing-loss
8. National Library of Medicine. “Cigarette Smoking, Smoking Cessation and Risk of Hearing Loss in Women.” Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7541613/
9. Healthline. “How Hypertension Can Affect Your Ears.” Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/high-blood-pressure-hypertension/hypertension-ears
10. National Multiple Sclerosis Society. “Hearing Loss and Multiple Sclerosis.” Retrieved from https://www.nationalmssociety.org/understanding-ms/what-is-ms/ms-symptoms/hearing-loss
11. National Library of Medicine. “Sensorineural Hearing Loss as a Complication of COVID-19 and the COVID-19 Vaccine.” Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10665765/
12. Cleveland Clinic. (2026). “Auditory Neuropathy.”
13. American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. (2025) “Genetic Hearing Loss.
14. American Diabetes Association. “Diabetes and Hearing Loss.”
15. Oxford Academic. (2018). “Smoking, Smoking Cessation, and the Risk of Hearing Loss: Japan Epidemiology Collaboration on Occupational Health Study.”
16. National Multiple Sclerosis Society. “Hearing Loss and Multiple Sclerosis.”
17. National Library of Medicine. (2023). “Sensorineural Hearing Loss as a Complication of COVID-19 and the COVID-19 Vaccine.”
Good hearing matters
