Ask a doctor on the topic of General medicine

Hearing problem

December 28, 2015 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Ive Dr. Schaaf

Dear Sir or Madam,

I often have the problem that suddenly, for a few seconds, I hear less on one or both ears and it makes a monotonous noise. It feels like being muffled, never completely gone. This sensation usually disappears after about 1-2 minutes and mostly occurs in stressful situations. I once went to my general practitioner about it, and he looked into my ears and said that it could be due to stress, but nothing serious.

I just experienced it again, but without any ringing, just reduced hearing on both ears for about a maximum of one minute. I am currently a little congested and unfortunately haven't had the opportunity to eat since yesterday evening.

I recently started a new office job (although I regularly stand up) and had a lot of stress over the Christmas holidays with traveling and family. I have a bit of health anxiety in general and wanted to know if a mini-stroke could also manifest itself this way. Is a mini-stroke more severe? I did not have any motor or visual impairments, and my speech was not tested, but is normal now.

I am 25 years old, with no history of strokes in the family, my heart and blood pressure are normal, I do not exercise but move regularly and mostly eat healthy, drinking about 1.5-2 liters a day.

Kind regards.

Dr. med. Ive Dr. Schaaf

Hello,

what you are describing sounds quite typical of a ear noise, also known as tinnitus. It occurs during times of stress, lasts briefly, and then goes away - usually. However, it can also persist if you do not eventually reduce your stress. Such a ear noise is a very impactful warning signal from your body telling you "Take a break, that's enough, it's too much for me".

It does not sound like a stroke. That would be very unusual at your age.

Any more questions?

Get well soon

Dr. Schaaf