The last time you had dinner with family, you were pretty aggravated. It wasn’t because of family crisis (this time). No, the source of the stress was simple: it was loud, and you couldn’t hear a thing. So you didn’t get the details about Nancy’s promotion, and you didn’t have the ability to ask about Todd’s new puppy. And that was really irritating. You try to play it off as if the acoustics of the room are to blame. But you have to admit that it might be a problem with your hearing.
It can be incredibly difficult to self-diagnose hearing loss (that’s why, generally, it’s not suggested). But there are some early red flags you should watch for. When enough of these warning signs pop up, it’s worth scheduling an appointment to get a hearing assessment.
Hearing loss’s early signs
Not every sign and symptom of hearing loss is obvious. But if you happen to see your own situation reflected in any of the items on this list, you just might be experiencing some level of hearing loss.
Some of the most common early signs of hearing loss could include:
- Normal sounds seem 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 specific sounds become unbearably loud (especially if the problem doesn’t go away in short order), that could be an early hearing loss symptom.
- A friend points out that your media devices are getting progressively louder. Perhaps the volume on your cell phone keeps getting louder and louder. Or perhaps, your TV speakers are maxed out. Usually, you’re not the one that observes the loud volume, it’s your children, possibly your neighbor, or your friends.
- You have difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds. Perhaps you find your tea kettle has been whistling for five minutes but you didn’t notice it. Or perhaps the doorbell rings, and you don’t notice it. Early hearing loss is typically most noticeable in particular (and often high-pitched) frequencies of sound.
- Your ears are ringing: This ringing (it can actually be other noises too) is known as tinnitus. If you experience ringing or other chronic sounds in your ears, a hearing exam is your best bet because tinnitus, though it’s frequently an early warning of hearing loss, can also point to other health issues.
- You keep requesting that people repeat themselves. If you find yourself asking numerous people to talk more slowly, talk louder, or repeat what they said, this is especially true. This early sign of hearing loss could be occurring without you even noticing.
- You have a difficult time hearing conversations in a busy or noisy place. This is frequently an early sign of hearing loss.
- It’s suddenly very hard to understand phone calls: You might not talk on the phone as often as you once did because you use texting fairly often. But if you’re having trouble understanding the phone calls you do get (even with the volume turned all the way up), you might be experiencing another red flag for your hearing.
- Certain words are hard to understand. This red flag often appears because consonants are beginning to sound similar, or at least, becoming harder to differentiate. Normally, it’s the sh- and th- sounds that are muffled. But another typical example is when the “s” and “f” sounds get mixed up.
Get a hearing assessment
You might have one or more of these early warnings but the only real way to know the health of your hearing is to get a hearing exam.
You might be dealing with hearing loss if you are noticing any one of these symptoms. And if any impairment you may have, a hearing evaluation will be able to identify how bad it is. Once we identify the degree of hearing loss, we can figure out the best course of treatment.
This will help you have a much more enjoyable time at that next family get-together.
