Your hearing won’t be just gone one day when you wake up. Hearing loss, especially when it’s associated with aging, generally advances in degrees. Some signs show up earlier, though, and you don’t realize there is an issue right away.
The early symptoms of progressive hearing loss are subtle. Recognizing them sooner is crucial to delay the progression of hearing loss or other health issues related to aging. But if you don’t know what the early symptoms are, you won’t be able to recognize if you have them. Contemplate these eight barely detectable signs that you might have hearing loss.
1. Some voices you can’t hear very well, others you can
Perhaps you can understand the cashier perfectly, but when your wife chimes in on the conversation, everything gets messed up. It’s a common sign of sensorineural hearing loss or damage to the nerves that send electrical messages to the brain.
Her voice is less clear to you because the pitch is higher. You may not be capable of hearing 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 tones are high, also.
2. You avoid phone conversations
When the phone rings you often make excuses for not answering:
- It’s a brand new phone, and I’m simply not used to it yet
- It’s most likely just spam
Consider why you dislike using your phone. It will be a useful idea to get someone else to test the phone for you if the volume is at max and you still aren’t able to hear what the other person is saying. You probably have a hearing loss problem if you can’t hear the voice but your friend can.
3. Why does everybody mumble these days?
It seems as if it’s no longer only the kids who are mumbling when they talk, it’s your neighbor, the news lady, your spouse, and even your bartender. It’s difficult to imagine that everybody in your life suddenly has poor enunciation so this is a good indication of hearing loss. The way you hear words is changing. One of the first signs that something is going on with your hearing is when it sounds like people are mumbling and consonants like “S” and “T” are dropping off.
4. You’re saying “what?” a lot
It may 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 on a daily basis like coworkers or family are the first to notice you are having a hard time hearing. If someone comments on it, you should pay attention.
5. What’s that ringing in my ears?
This sign is a bit more obvious, but unless it becomes a distraction, people tend to ignore it. A prevalent sign of hearing loss is a ringing in the ears, medically called tinnitus.
Triggers are a substantial factor in tinnitus so it can be intermittent, too. Perhaps, when you first wake up in the morning is when you have the most noticeable ringing or buzzing. Or a trauma, circulatory issues, or high blood pressure could be the cause.
It’s essential that you don’t disregard these tinnitus symptoms because it’s an indication that something could be wrong, so you should make an appointment right away to get an exam.
6. Meeting your friends at the neighborhood barbecue isn’t as fun
Again, there are those mumbling people, and that’s not fun. It’s so much harder to make out what people are saying in noisy settings. Something as simple as children playing and splashing around in the pool or the sound of the AC coming on you makes it impossible to hear anything. And attempting to keep up with conversations is exhausting.
7. You’re usually not this worn out
It’s laborious when you struggle to understand words. Your brain needs to work overtime to process what it does hear, so you are more fatigued than usual. Your other senses might even start to change. 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 last eye test was good, then the next thing to get tested is your ears.
8. Why can’t I hear this TV?
When you have to constantly turn the volume on your TV up, it becomes all too easy to blame your service provider or that old TV. When you have hearing loss it’s hard to hear dialog on your favorite shows. The background music and sound effects are befuddling dialogue, for example. How about the other stuff in the room such as the AC or the ceiling fan? Your hearing might be failing if you constantly turn up the volume.
Fortunately, all it takes to know for certain is a professional hearing exam and if it turns out your hearing is failing, hearing aids will help you get back to normal.
If you notice any of the above signs of hearing loss, give us a call today to schedule an appointment.
