Why is it happening?

Our ability to hear can change for a number of reasons. It may be as simple as excessive ear wax or an infection, both of which can be easily treated. A long term change in hearing may be due a number of factors, including:

Age related hearing loss
This is the most common form of hearing loss and affects as many as 50% of people over the age of 60.

Noise exposure
Prolonged and repeated exposure to noise can damage hearing. This may be caused by working in a noisy environment or taking part in certain activities such as DIY, attending concerts and listening to personal music players.

Within the inner ear is the organ called the cochlea. Situated inside the cochlea are a number of tiny hair cells that receive the sound signals entering the ear and pass them on to the brain. Each of these sets of hair cells are ‘tuned’ to a particular frequency and over time some of these literally wear out, which is why certain sounds become muffled and difficult to hear.