What is ‘Cookie-Bite’ Hearing Loss?

Cookie-bite hearing loss refers to a specific type of mid-range hearing loss, making it challenging to hear sounds at the middle frequency, such as speech and music. This condition received its name from the U-shaped pattern it forms on an audiogram, resembling someone taking a bite out of it.

Cookie-bite hearing loss is far less common than other types of hearing loss. It is usually a genetic condition, but there are less common causes. For example, a rare benign tumor called vestibular schwannoma can cause mid-range hearing loss.

How Cookie-Bite Hearing Loss Affects Your Hearing

Most people can hear a wide range of pitches. The lowest frequency humans can hear is 20 Hz, while most people cannot hear anything higher than 20,000 Hz. Most human speech and music is between 500 Hz and 2,000 Hz. People with cookie-bite hearing loss struggle to hear sounds in this range. However, they will still be able to hear very low or high pitches. If you had this type of hearing loss, you might be able to hear a person with a very deep voice or a child with a high-pitched voice, but you would struggle to have conversations with most adults who are speaking normally.

Symptoms of Diagnosis

As with most types of hearing loss, others will likely suspect that you have mid-range hearing loss before you do. If you can’t understand people clearly during conversations, have trouble hearing in a crowd, or have to turn up your TV or radio to hear it clearly, you might have cookie-bite hearing loss.

Cookie-bite hearing loss is often very mild and develops gradually, so many cases go undiagnosed. The best way to diagnose this type of hearing loss is to complete an audiogram to determine whether you’re struggling to hear mid-range sounds.

Management and Treatment Options

While there is no cure for cookie-bite hearing loss, the condition can be managed and treated. The best way to treat the condition is to make simple changes to your lifestyle. For example, if you’re in a crowded restaurant or classroom, try to sit somewhere away from the larger crowd. When someone is speaking to you, try to move closer to them and make sure that you can see their lips. If they’re speaking into a microphone and you can’t get close, try moving closer to the amplification device. Hearing aids designed to help you hear mid-range sounds can also be very helpful, especially if your hearing loss is more severe.

In any case, it’s important to have your hearing checked regularly by an audiologist. Cookie-bite hearing loss is often gradual, so you might not notice you have it without a diagnosis.

If you suspect that you have any degree of hearing loss, don’t hesitate to contact us at Beltone Hearing Center HearWell Audiology and Associates for advice and to hear about treatment options.