What happened to pop star Phil Collins is a case in point. As lead singer of the band "Genesis", Collins had to cope with numerous studio sessions and live concerts and these truly taxed his body and nervous system; in addition to those commitments, he was also busy working as a composer. During a longer stay in the United States, he suffered from sudden hearing loss, which he described in the weekly paper "Die Zeit" as follows: "At the time, I was recording in the States and had spent the day singing in the studio. Then I collected my daughter from school. We got home, had something to eat, played a video game. Then suddenly my ear went sssssssshh. Within a second my left ear simply closed down. As if I had been under water. I tried to clear it by pinching my nose. But it made no difference. So I thought it will sort itself out. But it didn’t." Obviously Collins had a lot on his plate, which caused him to suffer from an infarction of the inner ear, another term for sudden hearing loss. The stressed-out star, however, learned his lesson: "Although I’m not a deeply religious person, it seems like God – whoever He may be – slapped me on the ear and said: Will you finally hit the brakes and slow down?! Take this as a warning and take things easier from now on."

Sudden hearing loss, when it occurs suddenly and seemingly without a reason, is a warning signal that requires immediate action. Otherwise further serious consequences beyond the collapse of the inner ear are to be expected. A recent study in Taiwan actually suggests that sudden hearing loss may be a warning sign for an impending stroke, as there is significant statistical evidence that sudden hearing loss often precedes a stroke.