Your last family dinner was frustrating. It wasn’t because of family crisis (this time). No, the source of the stress was simple: it was noisy, and you couldn’t hear anything. So you didn’t get the chance to ask about Dave’s new cat or Sally’s new job. It was difficult. Mostly, you blame the acoustics. But you have to admit that it may be an issue with your hearing.
It can be especially difficult to self-diagnose hearing loss (that’s why, typically, it’s not suggested). But there are some early red flags you should keep on your radar. When enough red flags appear, it’s time to contact us for a hearing test.
Hearing loss’s early signs
Most of the symptoms of hearing loss are subtle. But if you happen to see your own situation reflected in any of the items on the following list, you just could be experiencing some degree of hearing loss.
Some of the most common initial signs of hearing loss could include:
- Your ears are ringing: Ringing in your ears is called tinnitus (and, technically, tinnitus can be other sounds as well: screeching, buzzing, humming, thumping, and so on). Tinnitus isn’t always associated with hearing problems, but it is frequently an early warning sign of hearing loss, so a hearing exam is probably needed.
- Someone notices that the volume on your media devices is getting louder. Maybe you keep cranking the volume up on your mobile phone. Or maybe, your TV speakers are maxed out. Normally, you’re not the one that observes the loud volume, it’s your kids, maybe your neighbor, or your friends.
- You have a difficult time hearing conversations in a busy or noisy place. This is exactly what occurred during the “family dinner” example above, and it’s often an early sign of trouble with hearing.
- You’re suddenly finding it difficult to hear when you’re talking on the phone: You might not talk on the phone as often as you once did because you use texting pretty often. But if you’re having difficulty understanding the phone calls you do receive (even with the volume turned all the way up), you might be confronting another red flag for your hearing.
- You notice that some sounds become unbearably loud. You may or may not experience this but if you do, remember that it can be an early warning of hearing loss. If you are experiencing this issue, especially if it lingers, it’s time for a hearing exam.
- You have trouble hearing high-pitched sounds. Maybe you find your tea kettle has been whistling for five minutes but you didn’t notice it. Or perhaps, you never even hear the doorbell ringing. Early hearing loss is normally most apparent in particular (and often high-pitched) frequencies of sound.
- You notice it’s difficult to understand particular words. This symptom occurs when consonants become difficult to hear and distinguish. Normally, it’s the sh- and th- sounds that are garbled. But another common example is when the “s” and “f” sounds get mixed up.
- You often need people to repeat what they said. If you find yourself asking multiple people to speak slower, talk louder, or repeat what they said, this is particularly true. This early sign of hearing impairment could be happening without you even noticing.
Next up: Take a test
No matter how many of these early red flags you may experience, there’s really only one way to know, with certainty, whether your hearing is diminishing: get a hearing test.
In general, any single one of these early warning signs could indicate that you’re developing some type of hearing impairment. And if any impairment you may have, a hearing examination will be able to tell you how bad it is. And then you’ll be better prepared to determine the right treatment.
This will help you have a much more enjoyable time at that next family gathering.
