Can hearing loss be psychosomatic?

Psychosomatic disorders such as tinnitus, acute hearing loss, attacks of dizziness, globus syndrome, dysphagias, voice disorders and many more are quite common in ear, nose and throat medicine. They are mostly caused by a number of factors, although the bio-psycho-social model does play an important role.

Can stress and anxiety cause hearing problems?

Many Americans cope with high levels of stress and anxiety, which are linked to a variety of health problems. Long-term, the physical changes from chronic stress can even trigger hearing loss and other inner ear problems.

Can you lose your hearing for no reason?

Everyone’s hearing naturally declines with age, and people often have one ear that hears better than the other. But if hearing loss appears suddenly in one ear for no apparent reason, you may have experienced sudden sensorineural hearing loss, or SHL, a kind of nerve deafness.

Is hyperacusis psychosomatic?

Hyperacusis and mental health Research studies have shown that over 50% of patients with hyperacusis also suffer from a psychiatric disorder [1].

Can tinnitus be linked to anxiety?

Anxiety activates the fight or flight system, which puts a lot of pressure on nerves, and increases blood flow, body heat, and more. This pressure and stress are very likely to travel up into your inner ear and lead to the tinnitus experience.

Does anxiety make your ears feel full?

Anxiety can cause ear fullness, pressure and pain It’s not unusual for people with anxiety to experience ear pain and pressure, especially during a panic attack or when under a lot of stress. You may experience this as ear pressure, fullness, pain or even that your ears simply “feel weird.”

Is it normal to lose hearing for a few seconds?

Audiologists refer to hearing going in and out for a few seconds and then coming back as sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) or sudden deafness. The reference to deafness can confuse some people who might assume it’s a permanent condition. Fortunately, that is usually not the case.

How do you fix hyperacusis?

Treatment for hyperacusis

1. sound therapy to get you used to everyday sounds again, and may involve wearing ear pieces that make white noise.
2. cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to change the way you think about your hyperacusis and reduce anxiety.

What are the symptoms of hyperacusis?

Symptoms of hyperacusis

• very quiet sounds are comfortable, but ordinary sounds (like voices at conversational volume) are too loud or distorted.
• your own voice seems too loud or distorted.
• low intensity sounds, such as the noise of a refrigerator, seem too loud.
• sudden, loud noise can cause discomfort and pain.

What are the psychological consequences of hearing loss?

Extreme psychological consequences of hearing impairment. Hearing impairment may, for some people, result in psychological disorders. By itself, a loss of hearing lowers the quality of life, and for most hearing impaired people the hearing loss has psychological, physical and social consequences.

Is there such thing as an unexplained psychosomatic symptom?

Of course, a medically unexplained symptom is not necessarily psychosomatic. There will always be diseases that stretch the limits of scientific knowledge. But among those with undiagnosed physical symptoms is a large group in whom no disease is found because there is no disease to find.

Can a person with hearing loss have anxiety?

Few would deny that hearing loss can cause anxiety and phobias, but research into such diagnostically significant emotional disorders among persons with hearing loss, other than self-reported questionnaires, is essentially non-existent.

Can a psychosomatic disorder affect both mind and body?

A psychosomatic disorder is a disease which involves both mind and body. Some physical diseases are thought to be particularly prone to be made worse by mental factors such as stress and anxiety. Your current mental state can affect how bad a physical disease is at any given time.

Extreme psychological consequences of hearing impairment. Hearing impairment may, for some people, result in psychological disorders. By itself, a loss of hearing lowers the quality of life, and for most hearing impaired people the hearing loss has psychological, physical and social consequences.

Why do some people ignore sudden hearing loss?

SHL also could be a sign of a small stoke or tumor. SHL gets ignored because the symptoms feel familiar, like a head cold or earwax or water in the ear. People try to treat it with cold or sinus medicine, swimmer’s ear drops, or cleaning their ears.

What does Sudden sensorineural hearing loss ( SSHL ) mean?

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL), commonly known as sudden deafness, occurs as an unexplained, rapid loss of hearing—usually in one ear—either at once or over several days.

What causes sudden sensorineural hearing loss in one ear?

Another factor to consider is whether hearing loss happens in one or both ears. For example, if sudden hearing loss occurs only in one ear, tumors on the auditory nerve should be ruled out as the cause. Autoimmune disease may cause SSHL in one or both ears.