Those affected often experience a sudden deficiency (it usually only affects one ear but can lead to permanent loss of hearing) in the form of a sense of pressure, as if their ear was blocked by a piece of cotton wool. Others get the impression that their ear has somehow closed. In most cases, sudden hearing loss is accompanied by tinnitus, in other words, you hear sounds in your ear that resemble a high-pitched whistle, or ring, or hiss, or hum, etc. Although this form of hearing loss, occurring completely out of the blue, is a condition affecting a growing number of people, its causes are as yet unknown. Sudden hearing loss can probably be attributed to the interaction of physical and psychological factors that combine to place the organism under undue pressure, something often subsumed today under headings such as "stress" or "burnout syndrome".

• Part 1: Sudden hearing loss
• Part 2: Paying the price for overstraining the body
• Part 3: Unknown causes