Your hearing won’t be just gone one day when you wake up. For most individuals, hearing loss progresses in degrees, especially when it is associated with aging. You may not realize it’s occurring right away but some indicators do show up earlier.
The early symptoms of progressive hearing loss are discrete. Identifying them sooner is essential to slow down the development of hearing loss or other health problems related to aging. However, you can’t recognize the signs if you don’t know what they are. You might be developing hearing loss if you identify any of the following eight barely detectable signs.
1. You hear some people just fine but not others
Maybe you can understand the cashier just fine, but when your wife joins the conversation, everything gets muddled. It’s a common indication of sensorineural hearing loss or damage to the nerves that send electrical signals to the brain.
Her voice is less clear to you because it’s higher in pitch. You may have the same issue with your grandchild or daughter. 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 calls
When the phone rings you tend to make excuses for not answering:
- I’m just not used to this brand new phone yet
- I get a lot of spam calls – that’s probably what it is
Consider why you dislike talking on your phone. It will be a good idea to get someone else to test 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 probably the issue.
3. Why does everyone mumble these days?
It used to be just the kids, but as of late, the lady on the TV news, the bartender, your neighbor, and your spouse all seem like they are mumbling when they talk to you. 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. One of the first signs that something is happening with your hearing is when it sounds like people are mumbling and consonants like “S” and “T” are getting lost.
4. You’re saying “what?” a lot
You may not even recognize that you’re unable to hear conversations anymore until somebody points out that you’re saying “What?” during conversations a lot. Frequently, the first people to notice that you’re developing hearing loss are the people you see every day, like family and coworkers. You should definitely pay attention if someone says something.
5. What’s that ringing in my ears?
This sign is somewhat more obvious, but unless it becomes a distraction, people tend to ignore it. Tinnitus, the medical name for the ringing or buzzing in the ear, is a common symptom of hearing loss.
Tinnitus can also be periodic because triggers are a significant factor. Maybe, when you first wake up in the morning is when you have the most noticeable ringing or buzzing. Or, it could also be a symptom of high blood pressure, circulatory problems, or trauma.
It’s crucial that you don’t ignore these tinnitus symptoms because it’s an indication that something could 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 enjoyable
Once again, there are those people mumbling, and that’s not fun. It’s so much more difficult to make out what people are saying in noisy places. It becomes extremely difficult for you to hear anything when you’re around something as simple as the AC turning on or kids splashing and playing around the pool. And, you always feel fatigued from trying to focus in on conversations.
7. You feel more fatigued than usual
Battling to understand words is exhausting. You feel more tired than normal 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 utilizing 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 ears checked.
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 turning up the volume. When you’re experiencing hearing loss it’s hard to follow along with dialog on your favorite shows. Dialogue is being jumbled by background music and sound effects. There are other things like the room AC or ceiling fan to cope with. Your hearing may be failing if you constantly turn the volume up.
The good thing is, if your hearing is declining, hearing aids can help, you just need to get a hearing test.
If you notice any of the above signs of hearing loss, give us a call today to schedule an appointment.
