Your hearing won’t be just gone one day when you wake up. Hearing loss, particularly when it’s related to aging, usually advances in degrees. You may not recognize it’s happening immediately but some signs do show up earlier.
These initially developing symptoms advance very discreetly. Slowing down the development of hearing loss and its related health problems is a matter of early detection. However, you’re unable to detect the signs if you don’t know what they are. You might be developing hearing loss if you identify any of the following eight barely noticeable indicators.
1. You hear some people perfectly fine but not others
Maybe when you speak with your brother, you can hear him fine, but when your wife talks, some words just seem to get lost. It’s a typical sign that the nerves that transmit messages to the brain are damaged (known as sensorineural hearing loss).
Her voice is less clear to you because the pitch is higher. You may have the same issue with your grandchild or daughter. Even technology like the microwave or an alarm can throw a loop into things. Those are also high pitched tones.
2. You avoid phone conversations
It’s easy to make excuses for why you don’t answer the phone when it rings:
- I’m just not used to this new phone yet
- It’s probably just spam
You dread talking on the phone, but why? If you have the volume at max and can’t hear what is being said, let a friend test the phone for you. You probably have a hearing loss issue if you can’t hear the voice but your friend can.
3. Why is everybody mumbling?
It used to be just the kids, but lately, the woman on the TV news, the bartender, your neighbor, and your partner all seem like they are mumbling when they speak with you. If it seems as if everyone in your life is mumbling, you’re probably dealing with hearing loss, because what is the probability of that? The way you hear words is changing. Mumbling or lost consonants like “S” or “T” is one of the first signs that your hearing is going through changes.
4. You’re saying “what?” a lot
You might not even realize that you’re unable to hear conversations anymore until somebody points out that you’re saying “What?” during conversations a lot. Often, the first people to detect you are developing hearing loss are the people you see on a daily basis, like family and coworkers. You should certainly pay attention if somebody says something.
5. What’s that ringing in my ears?
This sign is a bit more obvious, but unless it becomes a disruption, people tend to disregard it. Tinnitus, the medical term for the ringing or buzzing in the ear, is a prevalent symptom of hearing loss.
Tinnitus can also be periodic because triggers are a significant factor. For instance, maybe the ringing, buzzing, or roaring only occurs in the morning or when you are tired. Or a trauma, circulatory problems, or high blood pressure could be the cause.
If you’re noticing these symptoms you should make an appointment for an exam because they could be an indication that you’re having a health issue.
6. Meeting your friends at the neighborhood barbecue isn’t as fun
Again, there are those mumbling people, and that’s not fun. Also, being in loud places makes understanding what people say that much harder. Something as simple as youngsters playing and splashing around in the pool or the sound of the AC kicking on you makes it extremely tough to hear anything. And, you always feel exhausted from trying to focus in on conversations.
7. You feel more fatigued than normal
Battling to understand words is exhausting. You feel more fatigued than normal because your brain needs to work overtime to try and interpret what it’s trying to hear. You may even notice differences in your other senses. How much energy is left over for eyesight, for instance, if your brain is spending so much of its energy trying to hear and understand words? If your most recent eye exam was normal, then the next thing to get tested is your ears.
8. Why is this TV volume so low?
When you have to constantly turn the volume up on your TV, it becomes all too easy to blame your service provider or that out-dated TV. When you’re experiencing hearing loss it’s difficult to follow along with dialog on your favorite shows. The background music and sound effects are confusing dialogue, for example. There are other things such as the room AC or ceiling fan to cope with. If you keep turning up the volume, then your hearing could be failing.
The good thing is, if your hearing is declining, hearing aids can help, you just need to have your hearing tested.
Contact us today to make an appointment for a hearing assessment if you’ve detected any of the above signs.
