Your hearing won’t be just gone one day when you wake up. Hearing loss, especially when it’s associated with aging, typically advances in degrees. You may not recognize it’s happening immediately but some signs do show up earlier.
These initially developing symptoms progress very discreetly. Recognizing them sooner is essential to slow down the development of hearing loss or other health issues related to aging. However, you can’t detect the signs if you don’t know what they are. Consider these eight barely detectable signs that you may have hearing loss.
1. You hear some people perfectly fine but not others
Maybe you can understand the cashier perfectly, but when your wife chimes in on the conversation, everything gets messed up. It’s a typical indication of sensorineural hearing loss or damage to the nerves that distribute electrical signals to the brain.
Her voice is higher in pitch, and that’s why it’s unclear. You may not be able to hear your daughter or grandchild very well for the same reason. Even higher pitched tones such as the phone ringing or alarm clock can get lost. Those are also high pitched tones.
2. You avoid phone conversations
When the phone rings you are inclined to make excuses for not answering:
- It’s most likely just spam
- It’s a new phone, and I’m simply not used to it yet
Consider why you dread talking on your phone. If you have the volume all the way up and can’t understand what is being said, let a friend test the phone for you. You most likely have a hearing loss problem if you can’t hear the voice but your friend can.
3. Why does everyone mumble these days?
It seems like it’s no longer only the kids who are mumbling when they speak, it’s your neighbor, the news lady, your spouse, and even your bartender. If it seems like everybody 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 dropped off consonants like “S” or “T” is one of the first indications that your hearing is changing.
4. What?
It might not be until somebody points out that you’re saying “what?” a lot that you realize you are developing hearing loss. Very often the people you see every day like coworkers or family are the first to observe that you’re having a hard time hearing. You should certainly pay attention if someone says something.
5. What’s that ringing in my ears?
Okay, this isn’t really a subtle sign, but it is something individuals tend to dismiss unless it’s distracting. A prevalent sign of hearing loss is a ringing in the ears, medically called tinnitus.
Tinnitus can also be intermittent because triggers are a significant factor. For example, perhaps the ringing, buzzing, or roaring only happens in the morning or when you are tired. Or, it could also be an indication of high blood pressure, circulatory problems, or trauma.
It’s important that you don’t ignore these tinnitus symptoms because it’s a sign that something could be wrong, so you should make an appointment as soon as possible to get an exam.
6. It isn’t as fun going to the neighborhood get-together
Once again, there are those mumbling people, and that’s not fun. Also, being in noisy settings makes understanding what individuals say that much harder. Something as simple as youngsters playing and splashing around in the pool or the sound of the AC coming on you makes it extremely tough to hear anything. And trying to focus in on conversations is exhausting.
7. You feel more fatigued than usual
It’s exhausting when you struggle to understand words. Your brain has to work harder to process what it can hear, so you are more tired than normal. You might even experience changes in your other senses. If your brain is using 110 percent of its time and energy to understand words, what’s left for your eyesight or balance? If your eyes have tested fine, now it’s time to get your hearing assessed.
8. Why is this TV volume so low?
It’s easy to blame your old TV or the service provider when you have to keep cranking up the volume. When you have hearing loss it’s hard to hear dialog on your favorite shows. Dialogue is being muddled by background music and sound effects. How about the other stuff in the room like the AC or the ceiling fan? If you keep cranking the volume up, 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.
Give us a call today to make an appointment for a hearing test if you’ve experienced any of the above signs.