Your hearing won’t be simply gone one day when you wake up. Hearing loss, especially when it’s associated with aging, generally advances in degrees. Some indicators show up earlier, though, and you don’t detect there is an issue right away.
The early symptoms of progressive hearing loss are discrete. Slowing down the progression of hearing loss and its associated health challenges is a matter of early detection. However, you can’t recognize the signs if you have no clue what they are. You might be developing hearing loss if you notice any of the following eight barely detectable indicators.
1. You hear some people perfectly fine but not others
Maybe when you speak 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 distribute electrical signals to the brain.
Her voice is less clear to you because it’s higher in pitch. You may not be able to hear your daughter or grandchild very well for the same reason. Even technology like the microwave or an alarm can become a problem. Those are also high pitched tones.
2. You don’t like to talk on the phone
When the phone rings you tend to make excuses for not picking it up:
- I’m simply not used to this new phone yet
- It’s probably just spam
You dread talking on the phone, but why? If you have the volume at max and can’t understand what is being said, let someone else test the phone for you. If they can hear the conversation and you can’t, your ears are likely the problem.
3. Why is everyone mumbling?
It seems like 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. If it seems as if everyone in your life is mumbling, you’re most likely dealing with hearing loss, because what is the probability of that? The way you hear words is changing. Mumbling or lost consonants like “S” or “T” is one of the first signs that your hearing is changing.
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. Often, the first people to notice that you’re developing hearing loss are the people you see on a daily basis, 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 ignore it. Tinnitus, the medical term 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 periodic, too. Perhaps, when you first get 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.
If you’re experiencing these symptoms you should make an appointment for an exam because they may be an indication that you’re having a health issue.
6. Joining your friends at the neighborhood BBQ isn’t as enjoyable
It’s no fun when it sounds like that many individuals are mumbling at the same time. It’s so much harder to make out what people are saying in loud places. It becomes impossible for you to hear anything when you’re in the presence of something as simple as the AC kicking in or kids splashing and playing in the pool. And attempting to keep up with conversations is tedious.
7. You feel more worn out than normal
It’s laborious when you struggle to understand words. Your brain needs to work overtime to process what it can hear, so you are more fatigued than usual. Your other senses might even begin to change. How much energy is left over for eyesight, for instance, if your brain is spending so much of its energy trying to hear and understand words? If your eyes have tested fine, now it’s time to get your ears checked.
8. Why can’t I hear this TV?
It is easy to blame your old TV or the service provider when you need to keep cranking up the volume. When you’re experiencing hearing loss it’s hard to hear dialog on your favorite shows. The background music and sound effects are confusing dialogue, for example. There are other things like the room AC or ceiling fan to cope with. Your hearing could be failing if you constantly turn the volume up.
The good thing is, if your hearing is failing, hearing aids can help, you just need to get a hearing test.
Give us a call today to make an appointment for a hearing assessment if you’ve experienced any of the above signs.