There are many causes, types, and degrees of hearing loss, and it can affect each person differently. However, most hearing loss occurs gradually and this can make it difficult for people to notice the symptoms. When we begin to lose our hearing, we can technically still hear, though we cannot always fully understand every sound. There comes a time, however, where the signs and symptoms will become more evident and noticeable. It will become more difficult to fill in the blanks and compensate.
Treatment outcomes improve when the problem is addressed sooner rather than later. If you believe that you may have hearing loss, here are some signs and symptoms to pay attention to. If they are present in your life, contact anaudiologist, pursue a diagnostic hearing evaluation, and consider treatment recommendations.
Difficulty hearing on the phone
Many people with hearing loss have trouble hearing their friends and family members over the phone because they cannot fill in the blanks by reading lips or relying on other social signals. If you’re having trouble hearing on the phone or you have your phone’s volume control amped to the max, it may be a sign that you should get your hearing tested.
Straining to hear conversations
When you cannot hear effectively, listening becomes exhausting work. You strain to hear every conversation. Your brain must work harder to process signals. If you often have headaches by the end of the day or feel exhausted after having conversations with those around you, these problems are likely caused by your straining to follow the conversation. Exhaustion, headaches, and fatigue are common.
Difficulty hearing in noisy environments
You may be able to hear your friends speaking when you’re in a private, quiet area, but perhaps hearing speech is more difficult when you’re in a noisy restaurant, at a party, or another busy area. This may be because you’re having trouble masking background noise.
Asking others to repeat themselves
You may not even realize you do it often, but asking others to repeat themselves all of the time or constantly saying “what?” is a sign that you might have problems with your hearing. Pay attention to this sign the next few times you’ve having conversations.
Others don’t speak clearly
If you feel like you have cotton in your ears or feel like everyone else around you is mumbling, it’s likely because you’re having difficulty hearing the full range of sound.
Trouble hearing women and children
Hearing loss that affects specific sound frequencies is common, particularly when it comes to higher frequencies. If you can understand what men are saying but are having trouble hearing women and children, you should have your hearing evaluated to determine if some frequencies have gone soft.
Frustration, anger, and depression
Are you often annoyed, frustrated, or angry because you cannot understand what your family and friends are saying? Do you lash out because they aren’t speaking loudly enough or because you’re not hearing them as well as you used to? Hearing loss is often associated with feelings of frustration and anger. Anxiety, depression, and other emotional disorders are also common. Eventually, you may find yourself in social isolation due to your hearing difficulties. Instead of straining to hear conversations and misunderstanding what people are saying, you simply stop going out to parties, festivities, and other events.
These symptoms are common among different types and degrees of hearing loss. If you’ve noticed these symptoms, book an appointment with Associated Audiologists. There are treatment options available that can help you hear better and improve your quality of life. A doctoral-level audiologist will perform a comprehensive evaluation to determine the extent of your hearing difficulties and will make recommendations for solutions that best meet your lifestyle, budget, and hearing needs.