8 Signs You May Have Hearing Loss
1.) You Have Trouble Understanding Others
You may be able to hear sounds, but not quite make out the words.
2.) You Have Trouble Hearing in Noisy Environments
Multiple background noises, such as restaurants, can make hearing and understanding conversations difficult if you have a hearing loss.
3.) You Have Difficulty Understanding Women and Children
If you have a hearing loss, you may experience difficulty hearing or understanding words and speech patterns of women and children as both speak in higher pitches and softer tones.
4.) You Frequently Swap Ears When on the Phone
Frequent telephone ear swapping and becoming “ear fatigued” may signal hearing loss.
5.) You Hear a “Ringing” in Your Ears
If you have hearing loss, you may experience a ringing in the ears called tinnitus.
6.) You Watch Television Too Loudly for Others
If you’re constantly needing to increase the volume, or others ask you to reduce the volume, you may require a hearing test.
7.) You’re Physically or Mentally Fatigued During Conversations
Concentrating to hear friends, family members, talk shows and music can fatigue those with hearing loss.
8.) You’re Often Told You “Mumble” or Talk Too Loudly
If you have a hearing loss, your overall perception of sound has changed — even your own speech and pronunciation.
There are two common types of hearing loss. One is called conductive, which is normally a problem with the outer or middle ear. A common example of conductive hearing loss is chronic middle ear infection. This kind of hearing loss can be treated medically or surgically.
The second kind of hearing loss, and the most common type, is sensorineural. This usually involves a problem with the inner ear, or the hearing nerve itself, and is mostly permanent, though it can be rehabilitated through the use of hearing aids.
Here are some commons reasons why hearing loss happens in the first place:
- Aging
- Repeated exposure to loud noises
- Infections
- Injuries to the head or ear
- Birth defects or genetics
- Ototoxic reaction to drugs or cancer treatment such as antibiotics, chemotherapy, or radiation
And here’s what to look for if you think hearing loss is occurring:
- Hearing but not understanding people
- Having difficulty understanding radio, television or public address systems
- Needing to watch a person’s lips in order to understand
- Finding yourself asking people to repeat what they have said
- Pretending to understand
- Avoiding people and isolating yourself
- Finding it emotionally and physically exhausting to communicate
- Thinking that you are the only one who has these difficulties
And without proper treatment, it could get a lot worse than just hearing difficulties. Remembering that this is an important process and part of your body and life is very significant, because it can easily turn into much larger issues like:
- Irritability, negativism and anger
- Fatigue, tension, stress and depression
- Avoidance or withdrawal from social situations
- Social rejection and loneliness
- Reduced alertness and increased risk to personal safety
- Impaired memory and ability to learn new tasks
- Reduced job performance and earning power
- Diminished psychological and overall health
*Information from betterhearing.org
If you are experiencing hearing loss and would like to discuss your treatment options with one of our hearing experts, please call (860) 493-1950 or visit our patient portal to request an appointment.