Hearing loss can occur for a variety of reasons, and everyone will have a different experience with it. Often, your hearing won’t just suddenly disappear, it may instead degrade over time. This can be because of your age, or perhaps a noisy working environment. Hearing loss impacts millions of people around the world, all at varying degrees.

It is important that if you think you might be experiencing a degree of hearing loss, that you keep an eye out for the subtle signals that your hearing is failing, so you can seek support from an audiologist. Experiencing hearing loss is not always obvious at first but understanding the signs may help you to slow down the progression and find yourself a treatment plan that can help you live a fruitful life.

Here are some of the most common, yet subtle signs you should look out for.

It Feels Like Everyone Is Mumbling

Do you find yourself asking people to keep repeating what they are saying because they are mumbling? It can be frustrating when you cannot hear the other person properly. However, if it is happening more often, it may be a sign that your hearing is decaying, as opposed to the other parties mumbling. You may start to notice words changing, such as missing consonants or perhaps it is just getting harder and harder to understand the full sentence.

You Have Noticed a Ringing in Your Ears

Whether it is on occasion or constant, quiet or loud, any ringing in your ear is a sign of hearing loss. The medical term is tinnitus, and can often mean there are other, underlying problems going on in your body, such as high blood pressure. It is therefore important not to ignore the ringing in your ears, even if there doesn’t appear to be a reason or a pattern just yet.

You Have Your Television Up Much Louder

Sometimes, there is an annoying movie that is just too quiet, and you have to turn the television up louder than usual. However, if this happens more than once, and you find yourself with the television much louder than usual, for longer periods or perhaps feel the need to turn the subtitles on, then this may be a sign that you are experiencing hearing loss. Another issue may be that you find it much harder to hear the television when other things are going on in your environment, for example, someone is on the phone or you have the air conditioning turned off.

Going Out and Socializing Isn’t as Much Fun Anymore

Do you find it is no longer fun when you go out to socialize with friends and family? Do you find it is hard to follow along with conversations that are happening because you miss bits, cannot understand them fully, are distracted by other conversations or noises around you? If so, this could be a sign that you are experiencing hearing loss.

You Find It Difficult to Understand Certain People

Everyone’s voice is different. This means that, if you are starting to experience hearing loss, it can be hard to spot the signs straight away, as it is a common misconception that when your hearing goes, it all goes. However, due to the different pitches in individual voices, if you are experiencing sensorineural hearing loss, which is damage to the nerves in your ear canal, you may find higher-pitched voices more difficult to hear.

It Is Frustrating to Make a Phone Call

Do you find yourself making excuses when it comes to making a phone call? Or do you find it stressful when having to make a phone call, because you just cannot hear everything they have to say? It is normal to dislike using the phone, however, if it is getting frustrating and difficult to hear, then this could be a subtle sign that you are experiencing hearing loss.

Do You Constantly Have to Ask People to Repeat Themselves?

If you find your environment hasn’t changed, for example, you are in your workplace or surrounded by your usual peers, but you are constantly having to ask people to repeat themselves or you are saying what? much more than usual, then this could be a sign. It is normal to do so on occasion, but if you find it is becoming a regular occurrence, it may be that you need a hearing test.

You Feel Drained

When you are experiencing hearing loss, it can take more of a toll on you as your mind and body are working much harder to listen and understand what people are saying to you.

If you feel you may be experiencing hearing loss, then it is a good idea to speak to an audiologist. To learn more about Audiology Associates, call us today at 573-332-7000 today.