8 Signs You Are Starting to Lose Your Hearing
Like any medical condition, hearing loss is a problem that is best addressed as early as possible in order to avoid this condition worsening over time. The sooner you can get help and treatment for your hearing loss, the easier it will be to manage the symptoms. However, hearing loss is not often a problem that will come on suddenly. Instead, you may only notice that you are showing some signs and symptoms of hearing loss after a while of gradually struggling to hear things more and more. Hearing loss can happen to people of any age, and it may happen in people who otherwise had healthy hearing and ears with no concerns beforehand. If you’re worried about your hearing, here are some signs that you may be experiencing hearing loss.
Trouble Hearing on the Phone
Both mobile and landline telephones have volume control settings. So, while you may not have any trouble hearing people when you are speaking to them in person, you may notice that whenever you are on the phone to somebody, you can’t hear them unless you amp the volume all the way up to the maximum. When you are using the phone, check your volume setting – if you find yourself putting it up as far as it will go simply to be able to hear the conversation, it might be down to hearing loss. It may be worth speaking to a specialist about hearing aids or other treatment options.
You Have the TV Very Loud
If you’re watching TV and think that there’s nothing wrong with the volume that you have it at, but your family members or even your neighbors are asking you to turn it down because it’s far too loud, then it might be a sign that you are dealing with hearing loss. TV programs and films are not always easy to follow if you are struggling with your hearing, especially when there is loud music along with the dialogue. Turning up the TV doesn’t always make the sound clearer, either, but it may be something that you have started doing in order to try and help. If you always need to have the TV turned up so loud to watch that others in your home find it uncomfortable or your neighbors know what you are watching, then it might be time to consider getting your hearing tested.
Trouble Following Conversations with More Than One Person
Over time, most people will see a natural decline in their ability to process multiple incoming and competing signals. It’s not completely unusual to get a little bit lost if you are having a conversation with a lot of people who are all talking at once. However, if you are often finding yourself struggling to follow along with what’s being said when you are having dinner with your family or attending a work meeting, then it could be a sign of hearing loss. Observe what you are like whenever there are more than two people talking at the same time – if you often lose track of what’s being said, then it might be time to consider seeing a hearing specialist.
You’re Often Mishearing or Not Processing Words
If you have found yourself saying ‘what?’ or ‘pardon?’ a lot of the time, then it might be a sign that you have hearing loss. Of course, this might not always be the case – noisy environments or simply somebody who just doesn’t speak up when they are speaking to you could be behind this. However, if you are starting to ask people to clarify what they’ve just said more and more often because you couldn’t make it out, then this might be a sign that you are dealing with hearing loss. Along with this, you may often misunderstand what people say – a problem that stems from the early stages of high frequency hearing loss, which affects the ability to discern different speech sounds.
Trouble Hearing in Noisy Environments
If you don’t notice a lot of problems with hearing at home or at work, but your hearing tends to go as soon as you are in an environment with a bit of background noise, then it might be worth having this checked out. Maybe you struggle to hear the person or people that you are with if you are eating dinner in a busy restaurant or when you have to attend a large work meeting with a lot of colleagues. Perhaps you struggle to hear your spouse when you are in the supermarket. Either way, it is something that might be worth further investigating as people with hearing loss tend to have more problems with focusing on speech and masking out background noises.
You Strain to Hear Conversations
If you are losing your hearing, then you may often find yourself straining to hear and follow along with conversations, which can be both mentally and physically exhausting. If you get to the end of a normal day feeling completely worn out and tired, especially if you have spent a lot of time conversing with family, co-workers or friends, then it might be a sign that you are dealing with hearing loss.
More Trouble Hearing Women and Children
It is not uncommon to lose your hearing within a specific frequency range and hearing loss in the higher frequencies is more likely with age. Since children and women speak at higher frequencies or pitches compared to men, it’s not uncommon for people who are suffering from hearing loss to find that they struggle to hear these people more often.
Frustration During Conversations
Finally, if you are losing your hearing, you might find that you are getting annoyed and frustrated more often and more easily, especially if you are struggling to take part in conversations because you can’t hear what is being said. These feelings are normal and understandable, and if you are feeling this way more and more often, it’s best to seek professional help and treatment.
Hearing loss is more common in older people, but it can occur at any age. These are some signs to look out for that might indicate you are losing your hearing.
