Your hearing won’t be simply gone one day when you wake up. Hearing loss, especially when it’s caused by aging, typically progresses in degrees. Some signs show up earlier, though, and you don’t realize there is an issue immediately.
The early symptoms of progressive hearing loss are subtle. Delaying the progression of hearing loss and its related health challenges is a matter of early detection. However, you’re unable to recognize the signs if you don’t know what they are. Consider these eight barely detectable indicators that you may have hearing loss.
1. Some voices you can’t hear very well, others you can
Maybe when you talk with your brother, you can hear him fine, but when your wife talks, some words just seem to get lost. It’s a typical indication of sensorineural hearing loss or damage to the nerves that send electrical signals to the brain.
Her voice is a higher pitch, and that’s why it’s unclear. You may have the same problem with your grandchild or daughter. Even higher pitched tones like the phone ringing or alarm clock can get lost. Those tones are high, also.
2. You don’t like to talk on the phone
When the phone rings you often make excuses for not picking it up:
- I’m just not used to this new phone yet
- It’s most likely just spam
You dread 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 at max and you still can’t hear what the other person is saying. If they are able to hear the conversation and you can’t, your ears are likely the problem.
3. Why does everybody mumble these days?
It seems like it’s no longer just the kids who are mumbling when they speak, it’s your neighbor, the news woman, your partner, and even your bartender. If it seems as if everyone in your life is mumbling, you’re most likely dealing with hearing loss, because what is the likelihood of that? How you hear words is changing. Mumbling or lost consonants like “S” or “T” is one of the initial indications that your hearing is going through changes.
4. You’re saying “what?” a lot
You may not even recognize that you can’t hear conversations anymore until somebody points out that you’re saying “What?” during conversations a lot. Very often the people you see every day like coworkers or family are the first to detect you are having a hard time hearing. If somebody 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 disruption, people tend to ignore it. Tinnitus, the medical name for the ringing or buzzing in the ear, is a prevalent symptom of hearing loss.
Triggers are a significant factor in tinnitus so it can be intermittent, too. For instance, perhaps the ringing, buzzing, or roaring only manifests in the morning or when you are tired. Or a trauma, circulatory issues, or high blood pressure may be the cause.
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 right away to get checked out.
6. Joining your friends at the neighborhood BBQ isn’t as enjoyable
Once again, there are those people mumbling, and that’s not fun. Also, being in noisy places makes understanding what individuals say that much harder. It becomes impossible for you to hear anything when you’re in the presence of something as basic as the AC kicking in or youngsters splashing and playing around the pool. And, you always feel exhausted from trying to keep up with conversations.
7. You feel more fatigued than normal
Battling to understand words is draining. You feel more tired than usual because your brain needs to work overtime to try and interpret what it’s trying to hear. Your other senses might even begin to change. If your brain is utilizing 110 percent of its time and energy to understand words, what’s left over for your eyesight or balance? If your last eye exam was good, then the next thing to get checked is your ears.
8. Why is this TV volume so low?
It is easy to blame your old TV or the service provider when you have to keep cranking up the volume. When you’re experiencing hearing loss it’s hard to hear dialog on your favorite shows. Dialogue is being jumbled by background music and sound effects. What about the other stuff in the room such as the AC or the ceiling fan? Your hearing may be failing if you constantly turn up the volume.
The good news is, all it takes to know for sure is a professional hearing exam and if you find out your hearing is declining, hearing aids will help you get back to normal.
If you experience any of the above signs of hearing loss, contact us today to make an appointment.