What is Sudden Hearing Loss?: The causes, risks, symptoms and treatments

What is Sudden Hearing Loss (SSHL)?

The causes, risks, symptoms and treatments

Overview    |    Causes and symptoms    |    Diagnosing    |    Treatments    |    Prevention    |    Conclusion

Last Hearing Aid UK Update:  20/10/2026 

An instant decrease in hearing

Lost hearing suddenly? If you’ve lost hearing suddenly in one or both ears, ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111 today. The NHS advises getting help quickly, because sudden hearing loss sometimes needs medical care straight away. It’s tempting to wait and see if it clears up, but it’s always better to get it checked.

Sudden hearing loss is exactly what it sounds like: a drop in your hearing that comes on quickly, often over a few hours or days. Sometimes it’s down to a virus, a problem with blood flow to the ear, or a condition affecting the inner ear. Alongside the hearing loss, which usually affects one ear, you might notice tinnitus.

Prompt medical assessment is important because doctors may suggest steroids or other medication. In this article, we discuss the causes, risks, symptoms, and what can help.

Once you’ve had medical advice, or if your hearing hasn’t fully recovered afterwards, Hearing Aid UK’s HCPC-registered audiologists can see you at home or in clinic. There's no charge for the consultation, and if you're worried about someone else, you're welcome to attend with them.

Causes of sudden hearing loss

Sudden hearing loss is a serious and potentially debilitating condition that can occur without warning. Doctors usually define it as a hearing loss of at least 30 decibels across three or more test pitches in three or fewer days, usually affecting one ear.

For example, you might be at a family gathering, chatting with a few people, and then realise that one ear is barely picking up any sound. This could be a sign of SSHL.

In most cases, doctors can’t find a single clear cause. Known causes include a variety of factors, including infection, inflammation, trauma and exposure to loud noise.

That’s why it’s so important to act quickly. If your hearing drops suddenly, ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111, as getting help early can give your hearing the best chance to recover.

Picture yourself at a live gig, music playing, friends chatting around you, when suddenly the sound in one ear just disappears. It’s easy to brush it off as the noise, but that’s exactly the moment to get urgent medical advice.

Symptoms of SSHL

Symptoms of sudden hearing loss can include a decrease in hearing in one ear, a feeling of fullness in the ear, tinnitus (ringing in the ear), and dizziness or vertigo.

You might first notice it in small, everyday moments: the car radio sounds flat in one ear, or you suddenly can’t follow what’s being said on TV. It can happen while you’re listening to music, chatting with friends, or simply relaxing at home, which is what makes it so unsettling.

If your hearing has changed suddenly, even if you’re hoping it’s nothing, get it checked quickly by your GP or NHS 111. The sooner sudden hearing loss is looked at, the better the chances of a good outcome.

Other causes:

Infection: An ear infection can make the inside of your ear swollen and inflamed, and sometimes that’s enough to cause sudden hearing loss. It can happen with both bacterial infections and viruses, like the ones behind a bad cold.

If an infection is involved, your GP may suggest medication to help. Imagine yourself waking up with a sore ear after a cold and realising that your hearing is affected.

Trauma: Sometimes it comes down to a single moment, like a knock to the head, a fall, or a sudden, very loud bang. Any of these can damage the tiny hair cells deep in the inner ear that pick up sound.

People who work around very loud machinery, such as on building sites, may be more at risk. If your hearing changes after a head injury, get urgent medical advice straight away.

Autoimmune disorders: If you live with an autoimmune condition such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, it’s worth knowing that it can occasionally affect your hearing.

Inflammation can reach the delicate blood vessels and nerves in the ear, so it’s worth mentioning any sudden changes to your GP or specialist straight away.

Ototoxic medications:  Some medicines, including certain antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs, can be ototoxic. That simply means they can affect the inner ear, and in some cases, cause sudden hearing loss.

Some medications, as necessary as they are, can come with an unexpected side effect: changes to your hearing. If you've recently been through chemotherapy or finished a course of strong antibiotics, it's worth paying attention to how your ears feel in the weeks that follow.

Don’t stop or change any medication without speaking to your doctor first.

Meniere's disease:  It's an inner ear condition that can strike without much warning, bringing with it intense bouts of vertigo, a sudden dip in hearing, and that persistent ringing known as tinnitus.

Exactly why it happens isn't fully understood, but it's believed to be linked to changes in the pressure of fluid deep within the ear. If you've ever found yourself dizzy and struggling to hear at the same time, Ménière's disease is something worth raising with your doctor.

Tumours:  Rarely, a growth on the hearing nerve, usually a non-cancerous one called an acoustic neuroma, can cause sudden hearing loss.

What matters most in these cases is getting checked out promptly. The sooner the cause is identified, the sooner the right course of action can be taken.

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss:  This is essentially sudden hearing loss without a confirmed cause. It can be frustrating to receive that kind of answer, but research suggests it may be connected to a viral infection, problems with blood flow to the ear, or the immune system behaving in ways it shouldn't.

Even without a definitive answer, your doctor can still suggest options that may help.

“Losing hearing suddenly can be frightening, and it’s natural to hope it’s just a blocked ear. But this is one of those times when it’s always better to get checked straight away by your GP or NHS 111.

If some hearing loss remains afterwards, that’s where our audiologists come in, helping you understand what’s changed and what can make everyday life easier again.”

says Paul Harrison, Audiology Expert & Founder, Hearing Aid UK

Sudden Hearing Loss

How sudden hearing loss is checked

Diagnosing sudden hearing loss

Checking for sudden hearing loss typically involves a complete medical history, physical examination, and hearing tests. Your GP or ENT specialist may also arrange imaging tests, such as an MRI or CT scan, to look for any abnormalities in the ear or auditory nerve.  

If you’re unable to hear properly after an incident or wake up with muffled hearing, ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111 first. They can arrange any urgent care you need and refer you on if necessary.

What to expect at your Hearing Aid UK appointment

If you’ve already had medical advice, or your hearing hasn’t fully recovered, a hearing test with one of our audiologists can show exactly what’s changed. From the moment you sit down, the focus is entirely on you.

Your audiologist will want to understand the full picture: when you first noticed the change in your hearing, what it feels like, and whether anything else has been going on alongside it. Nothing is too small to mention.

Your ears will be examined to rule out such things as a build-up of earwax, before moving on to a thorough hearing test using professional equipment. You'll get honest, straight-talking advice throughout, including whether your situation calls for an urgent referral elsewhere. 

If hearing aids could help, your audiologist will walk you through the options and give you the chance to try different models for yourself. There's no pressure and no obligation to buy anything; it's about finding out what's right for you, not making a sale.

The whole appointment usually takes between 45 minutes and an hour, and if medical care needs to come first, you'll be told that clearly and promptly. 

Sudden hearing loss treatments

Options your GP or ENT specialist may suggest for sudden hearing loss include medication, such as steroids, to reduce inflammation and swelling in the ear. This is one of the reasons getting medical advice quickly matters. Some people’s hearing recovers fully or partly. If some hearing loss remains, hearing aids or, less often, cochlear implants may help.

If you do need hearing aids following sudden hearing loss, we offer all major manufacturers without bias. You'll have 60 days to try them in your real-world environments, at work, in restaurants, during family gatherings, with a full money-back guarantee if they're not right for you. All aftercare, adjustments, and annual hearing tests are included for life, at no additional cost.

Many people find that having their hearing aids fitted and adjusted at home makes the process less stressful, particularly if they're still recovering from the initial shock of hearing loss. Free home visits are available across the UK if that fits your needs, better than clinic appointment.

Other options that may help include:

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy: Offered in some specialist centres, this involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurised chamber, which may help improve blood flow to the inner ear. The evidence for it is limited, and it isn’t routinely available on the NHS. It’s arranged through an ENT specialist, not through Hearing Aid UK.

Hearing aids: If SSHL results in permanent hearing loss, hearing aids are often the next step, making sounds louder and easier to follow.

CROS hearing aids: If one ear doesn’t recover enough for a standard hearing aid to help, a CROS system picks up sound on that side and sends it to your better ear. Our audiologists can fit these.

Cochlear implants: Cochlear implants may be suggested for severe or profound hearing loss in both ears. These are assessed and provided by a specialist NHS team.

Vestibular rehabilitation therapy: Simple exercises that help your body adjust if sudden hearing loss has left you dizzy or off balance. Usually arranged through your GP or an NHS specialist.

Over time, many people find these exercises help them feel steadier on their feet and more confident getting on with everyday life.

How can you prevent sudden hearing loss?

Not every case of sudden hearing loss can be prevented, because often no clear cause is found. But looking after your ears and your general health can lower the risk from some causes.

Loud noise is one of the most preventable causes of hearing damage, so if concerts, live sports, or noisy working environments are a regular part of your life, ear protection really isn't something to skip. A good pair of earplugs is a small outlay compared to the alternative.

The same mindfulness applies closer to home; those hours spent with headphones in on the commute or at the gym quietly take their toll. Keeping your volume at around 60% or below is a commonly suggested rule of thumb that's easy to stick to once it becomes a habit.

It's easy to think of conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease purely in terms of your heart or your blood sugar, but their reach goes further than that. If any of these are part of your daily life, how well you manage them may also affect your hearing health.

These conditions may restrict blood flow and put additional strain on the delicate structures of the inner ear, so working closely with your GP to keep things stable is genuinely worthwhile.

The broader lifestyle stuff matters as well. Eating well, keeping active, sleeping properly, and not smoking all support a healthier circulatory system, which your ears rely on too.

It's also worth being clued up about the medications you're taking. Some drugs, certain antibiotics and chemotherapy treatments among them, can affect hearing, particularly when used at high doses or over an extended period.

If that applies to you, it's a conversation worth having with your doctor. There may be alternatives, or at the very least, ways to keep a closer eye on any changes. Don’t stop or change any medication without speaking to your doctor first.

Which brings us to the final point: don't wait until something feels seriously wrong before getting your hearing checked. Regular tests mean that any shift in your hearing can be caught early, when there's still the most room to act.

If you notice anything, such as speech sounding muffled, a ringing in your ears, or simply that things don't sound quite as clear as they used to, see an audiologist sooner rather than later. Prompt action really does make a difference. If the change comes on suddenly, contact your GP or NHS 111 straight away instead.

Conclusion

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) is a medical emergency, and getting seen quickly can genuinely change the outcome. If it happens to you, ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111 the same day. Prevention and good habits still have real value, both in reducing your risk and in protecting your hearing for the long term.

It doesn't have to mean overhauling your entire lifestyle either. Small, consistent choices are often what make the difference: keeping the volume at a reasonable level, reaching for ear defenders before stepping into noisy spaces, and staying on top of your general health.

Getting your hearing tested regularly is something many people overlook until something goes wrong. Don't wait for a problem to prompt it, especially if noise is a regular part of your working day.

Has your hearing not fully recovered?

If you’ve had sudden hearing loss and your hearing hasn’t fully come back after medical care, Hearing Aid UK can help. We connect you with over 200 independent, HCPC-registered audiologists for a free hearing test at one of our 93+ clinics or during a free home visit.

Because we aren’t owned by any manufacturer, you can compare hearing aids from all the leading brands, with aftercare for life and a 60-day money-back guarantee. We’re also Which? recommended. Call us free on 0800 567 7621 or book your free hearing test online.