Your hearing won’t be simply gone one day when you wake up. For most people, hearing loss comes in degrees, especially when it is associated with the aging process. Some signs appear earlier, though, and you don’t realize there is an issue immediately.
The initial symptoms of progressive hearing loss are discrete. Identifying them sooner is crucial to slow down the development of hearing loss or other health issues related to aging. However, you’re unable to 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 just fine but not others
Perhaps you can hear the cashier just fine, but when your wife joins 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 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 don’t like to talk on the phone
It’s easy to make excuses for why you don’t pick up the phone when it rings:
- I get a lot of spam calls – that’s most likely what it is
- It’s a new phone, and I’m simply not used to it yet
You hate talking on the phone, but why? It will be a useful idea to get someone else to check the phone for you if the volume is all the way up and you still can’t hear what the other person is saying. If they can hear the conversation and you can’t, your ears are likely the problem.
3. Why is everyone mumbling?
It used to be just the kids, but lately, the woman on the TV news, the bartender, your neighbor, and your spouse all seem like they are mumbling when they speak with you. If it seems like everybody in your life is mumbling, you’re most likely dealing with hearing loss, because what is the likelihood of that? You’re not hearing words the same as you used to. 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 getting lost.
4. What?
It may not be until somebody points out that you’re saying “what?” a lot that you recognize you are developing hearing loss. Often, the first people to detect you are developing hearing loss are the people you see every day, 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 distraction, people tend to disregard it. Tinnitus, the medical term for the ringing or buzzing in the ear, is a common symptom of hearing loss.
Triggers are an important factor in tinnitus so it can be intermittent, too. For instance, maybe the ringing, buzzing, or roaring only happens in the morning or when you are tired. Or, it could also be a symptom of high blood pressure, circulatory issues, or trauma.
It’s essential that you don’t ignore these tinnitus symptoms because it’s a sign that something may be wrong, so you should schedule an appointment right away to get checked out.
6. Meeting your friends at the neighborhood barbecue isn’t as fun
It’s no fun when it sounds as if that many people are mumbling at the same time. It’s so much more difficult to make out what people are saying in loud settings. Something as basic as kids playing and splashing around in the pool or the sound of the AC coming on you makes it extremely tough to hear anything. And, you always feel fatigued from trying to keep up with conversations.
7. You feel more tired than normal
It’s exhausting when you struggle to understand words. You feel more fatigued than usual because your brain needs to work overtime to try and interpret what it’s trying to hear. Your other senses may even begin to change. If your brain is using 110 percent of its time and energy to understand words, what’s left over for your eyesight or balance? If your most recent eye exam was good, then the next thing to get checked 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 place the blame on your service provider or that out-dated TV. It can be hard to hear the dialogue on your favorite shows when you have hearing loss. Dialogue is being muddled by background music and sound effects. There are other things like the room AC or ceiling fan to deal with. Your hearing may be failing if you constantly turn the volume up.
Luckily, if your hearing is failing, hearing aids can help, you just need to get a hearing test.
Call us today to schedule an appointment for a hearing test if you’ve detected any of the above signs.