Colds and influenza affect your ears, nose, and throat, and it is not uncommon for people to suffer a minor hearing loss during and after a cold. Often, this symptom is temporary and quite innocuous, but it can sometimes be a sign of a more serious underlying problem.

Hearing Loss During Cold & Flu

All the parts of the ear, like the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear, all have their role in the proper functioning of your ears. They get affected by infections, allergies, and other illnesses.

Before we dive deep into how to fix loss of hearing in left ear, you should know some basic things. Our nose and ears are also connected, so an illness rarely affects just one in isolation. So clogged ears from cold are likely not just an isolated case – colds, flu, infections, and allergies can all make you feel ‘bunged up’ in both of these crucial sense organs.

Symptoms of Hearing Loss due to Cold

These include:

• pain in the ear
• discharge from the ears
• a feeling of fullness in the ear
• ringing in the ear

Causes

Middle ear infections are caused mainly by allergies and colds, which are also known as otitis media. And after some days of a stuffy or runny nose, the lining of your middle ear is irritated. It can lead to blocking the Eustachian tube, which can feel like popping in the ears, fullness, or congestion. In some cases, this blockage results in a temporary hearing loss called conductive hearing loss. This issue resolves itself once the cold or allergy is gone.

The illness with flu can also result in hearing loss in the left ear due to congestion. This issue also resolves itself. But you should know that flu might also cause a more serious hearing problem known as sensorineural hearing loss. Usually, it occurs when the inner ear nerves that transmit sound signals to the brain are damaged. In this situation, the flu virus attacks the inner ear.

It may also be due to:

• Earwax buildup
• Exposure to loud noise
• Middle ear infections
• Medication side effects
• Sinus infection
• Hay fever

Treatments for Colds and Allergies

Antihistamines and decongestants can help to relieve ear pressure and the sensation of being full. A warm compress can sometimes be helpful. If you ask a doctor how to fix loss of hearing in left ear, he or she will tell you to take antibiotics if an infection is present. Over-the-counter pain killers can alleviate earaches.

Because your ears, nose, and throat are so interconnected, a problem in one area often leads to problems in the others. The time you have a cold, the flu, or allergies, you may experience a stuffy nose and blocked ears at the same time.

Home Remedies for Hearing Loss due to Cold

The common causes of cold-induced ear pain get better on their own. Still, you can use home remedies to manage the pain.

Try placing a heat or ice pack on your affected ear to relieve discomfort or swelling. Wrap the pack in a clean towel at all times. It will protect your skin from the conditions such as heat and frost.

Sleep on the side with the unaffected ear if just one ear is affected. If your right earaches, for example, sleep on your left side. The pressure on your right ear will be relieved as a result of this.

You might also try sleeping with two or more pillows under your head to relieve pressure. However, this might put pressure on your neck, so take extra precautions.

If your ears are blocked, try swallowing many times, yawning with your mouth wide open, or eating sugar-free gum.

Neck exercises that rotate the neck can help relieve pressure in the ear canal that’s caused by ear infections.

When you feel that your earache is due to a sinus infection, you can try a nasal rinse. It will help to drain and clear your sinuses.

Take plenty of fluids, regardless of what’s causing your earache. Staying hydrated will loosen mucus and speed up recovery.

Take it easy. Resting will support your body’s ability to fight off a cold or secondary infection.

Ear infections are also a common occurrence when suffering from a cold and are usually treated easily with antibiotics. But it’s important that if you are poorly and start experiencing any of the symptoms below that you speak to the Best ENT specialist doctor immediately to prevent any permanent damage being done:

• Dizziness
• Earache
• Feeling of pressure in the head
• Hearing loss in one or both ears

1-What does it mean when you suddenly lose hearing in one ear?

SSHL happens because there is something wrong with the sensory organs of the inner ear. Sudden deafness frequently affects only one ear. People with SSHL often discover hearing loss upon waking up in the morning.

2-My ear feels blocked, and I can’t hear properly?

 Eustachian tube blockage. The Eustachian tube in the ear, which connects the middle ear to the throat, can become blocked when fluid or mucus is trapped. Often, this occurs when experiencing seasonal allergies, a cold or sinus, or an ear infection.

3-What is hearing loss in one ear and ringing?

One of the most common causes of clogged or ringing ears is an ear infection. Outer ear infections, commonly called swimmer’s ear, are caused by a bacterial or viral infection in the ear canal that leads to a buildup of fluid and pressure in the ear.