Your hearing won’t be simply gone one day when you wake up. Hearing loss, especially when it’s associated with aging, usually advances in degrees. Some signs show up earlier, though, and you don’t recognize there is an issue right away.
The initial symptoms of progressive hearing loss are subtle. Delaying the progression of hearing loss and its associated health problems is a matter of early detection. But if you don’t know what the early symptoms are, you won’t be able to recognize if you have them. Consider these eight barely detectable indicators that you might have hearing loss.
1. Some voices you can’t hear very well, others you can
Maybe when you speak with your brother, you can hear him fine, but when your wife speaks, some words just seem to get lost. It’s a typical indication of sensorineural hearing loss or damage to the nerves that send electrical messages to the brain.
Her voice is not as clear to you because the pitch is higher. You might 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 tones are high, also.
2. You avoid phone calls
When the phone rings you often make excuses for not answering:
- I get tons of spam calls – that’s most likely what it is
- I’m simply not used to this brand new phone yet
You hate talking on the phone, but why? If you have the volume all the way up and can’t understand what is being said, let a friend test the phone for you. If they can hear the conversation and you can’t, your ears are probably the problem.
3. Why is everybody mumbling?
It seems like it’s no longer just the kids who are mumbling when they speak, it’s your neighbor, the news lady, your spouse, and even your bartender. It’s hard 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. Mumbling or lost consonants like “S” or “T” is one of the initial signs that your hearing is going through changes.
4. What?
You may not even realize that you can’t hear conversations anymore until someone 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 that you’re having a hard time hearing. If somebody comments on it, you should pay attention.
5. What’s that ringing in my ears?
Okay, this isn’t exactly a subtle indication, but it is something individuals tend to ignore unless it’s disruptive. Tinnitus, the medical term for the ringing or buzzing in the ear, is a prevalent symptom of hearing loss.
Triggers are an important factor in tinnitus so it can be periodic, too. Maybe, when you first wake up in the morning is when you have the most noticeable ringing or buzzing. Or, it could also be an indication 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 might be wrong, so you should make an appointment right away to get checked out.
6. It’s not as fun attending the neighborhood block party
It’s no fun when it sounds as if that many people are mumbling all at once. It’s so much more difficult to understand what people are saying in loud settings. It becomes impossible for you to hear anything when you’re around something as basic as the AC turning on or youngsters splashing and playing around the pool. And trying to keep up with conversations is tedious.
7. You feel more worn out than normal
It’s exhausting when you struggle to understand words. Your brain has to work overtime to process what it can hear, so you are more fatigued than normal. Your other senses may even start 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 eyes have tested fine, now it’s time to have your ears checked.
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 old TV. When you’re experiencing hearing loss it’s hard to follow along with dialog on your favorite shows. The background music and sound effects are confusing dialogue, for example. How about the other stuff in the room such as the AC or the ceiling fan? Your hearing may be failing if you constantly turn the volume up.
The good news is, all it takes to know for sure is a professional hearing assessment and if you find out your hearing is declining, hearing aids will help you get some of your hearing back.
Give us a call today to make an appointment for a hearing test if you’ve detected any of the above signs.