8 Subtle Signs Your Hearing is Failing
You don’t suddenly lose your hearing one day when you wake up. For most people, loss of hearing gradually over time, especially when it is related to aging. Age-related hearing loss affects about one in three people in this country. Many of them are over the age of 75 before they notice a change. You may not detect the problem immediately even though some signs show up earlier.
Early hearing loss has gradual and subtle signs. Recognizing them as soon as possible is essential to slow down the progression of hearing loss or other health problems related to hearing loss. You can’t recognize the signs if you don’t know what they are, though. You could be suffering from hearing loss if you have any of these eight barely noticeable indicators.
1. Ringing in The Ears
This is one that people have a tendency to neglect if it doesn’t become too disruptive and it’s actually not very subtle. The medical name for this ringing is tinnitus, a common sign of hearing loss.
The ringing can be sporadic and only act up when triggered. Perhaps the ringing only takes place when your tired or in the morning for instance.
Tinnitus is a sign that something else is going on with your body so it should never be neglected. Besides hearing loss, tinnitus can be induced by high blood pressure, trauma, or a circulatory problem. If you want to know for sure, you will need to consult your doctor.
2. You Dread Talking on The Phone
Here are some common excuses for phone problems:
- My phone is old.
- My phone is damaged from being dropped.
- I’m not used to my phone’s newer technology yet.
If you dislike talking on the phone think about the reasons why. Get someone else to test the phone for you if the volume is all the way up and you still can’t hear it. If they can hear the conversation and you can’t, your hearing is the issue.
3. These Days it Seems As if Everyone Mumbles
It used to be just the kids, but lately, the lady on the TV news, your neighbor, and your spouse all have taken to muttering when they speak to you. It’s hard to imagine that everyone in your life suddenly has poor enunciation.
It’s more likely that you may not be hearing words in the same way. Mumbling or dropped off consonants such as “S” or “T” is one of the first indications that your hearing is changing.
4. What Did You Say?
You might not even recognize that you can’t hear conversations any more until somebody points out that you say “What? a lot. Very often, the people you see every day like coworkers or family are the first to notice you are struggling to hear. Pay attention if someone comments on it.
5. Some People You Hear Fine But Others Not so Much
Perhaps when you are having a chat with the neighbor everything sounds fine but when his wife starts to talk you can’t make out a word. It’s a common symptom of sensorineural hearing loss or damage to the nerves that send electrical messages to the brain.
Her voice is higher pitched, and that’s why it’s not as clear. You may have the same problem with your grandchild or daughter. Even when you are in common situations, something as simple as trying to hear the sound of an alarm clock ar a microwave can make things complicated. Those tones are also high pitched.
6. Going Out Isn’t as Much Fun as it Used to be
Even worse are the people who actually mumble. Also, being in noisy places makes comprehending what people say a big challenge. It becomes impossible to hear anything when you are at dinner and people start talking around you or the AC pops on.
7. You Are More Tired Than Usual
It’s can be draining struggling to comprehend what people are saying. Your brain has to work overtime to manage what it does hear, so you are more tired than normal. You may even notice changes in your other senses. If your brain is using 110 percent of its time and energy to understand words, what’s left for your eyesight or balance? It’s time to have your ears checked if your eye exam came back okay.
8. You Can’t Hear The TV
It’s easy to blame the TV or the service provider when you have to keep turning up the volume, but if this is going on all the time, maybe it’s time for a hearing test. It can be tough to follow people talking on TV shows when you have hearing loss. For example, when the background music is playing, it makes everything sound unclear. How about the other sounds in the room like the AC or the ceiling fan? If the volume keeps going up, then your hearing could be faltering.
The good news is all you need to do to know for sure is a professional hearing exam. If you find out your hearing is declining, hearing aids will get things back to normal.
