Hearing loss is a common health problem that will affect most people at some point in their lives. Typically, this occurs as you get older, with your hearing starting to deteriorate. Most people don’t give this problem much thought as they a) don’t see it as a big issue, and b) assume that everyone will eventually have to deal with it.
Believe it or not, but hearing loss is a significant health problem. It impacts all aspects of your life, particularly socially. When the social aspect of your life is negatively impacted, it can lead to all sorts of issues with your mental health & wellbeing. Secondly, contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to suffer from hearing loss. You can live well into your 80s and 90s without needing hearing aids, as long as you take care of your hearing health.
How do you do this? Well, it all starts with understanding the telltale signs of hearing loss. If you can identify them early, you can take steps to prevent your hearing from getting worse. As a result, you can avoid hearing aids and your life won’t be negatively impacted.
On that note, here’s how you spot the key signs of hearing loss:
Turning the volume up on everything
When you watch TV or listen to music, do you start turning the volume all the way up? Do people often comment on how loud the volume is when they enter the living room? If so, this could be a sign of hearing loss as you are struggling to hear things so need to keep turning the volume up. It is definitely worth getting a hearing test if everyone else in your family has to turn the volume down on the TV because it’s simply too loud, yet you find it fine.
Some caveats to consider here include poor-quality headphones and background noise. If you have headphones in, and you turn the volume up, it doesn’t automatically mean you have hearing loss. It could be that you need to turn the volume up to hear over background noises. Switching to noise-canceling headphones will help – if you turn the volume down, you’re fine. If you still turn it up, there’s probably an issue with your ears.
You keep asking people to repeat themselves
Do you find it hard to have conversations with people as you keep asking them to repeat themselves? This is one of the biggest signs of hearing loss as you are struggling to hear what people are saying. There’s a direct correlation between the number of times you say ‘what?’ or ‘pardon?’ and the state of your hearing. If all of your conversations are full of these words, it could be time to see a hearing health professional for a checkup.
Again, you need to be a bit wise and use your common sense here. If you keep asking people to repeat themselves, and you’re in a noisy environment, it doesn’t mean your hearing is bad. It could be that there is so much noise around you that everyone struggles to hear. It’s only when you are in quiet settings and you keep asking people to repeat themselves that you should be worried.
There’s a ringing in your ears
Stop for a moment and consider this; do you hear a constant ringing or buzzing in your ears? More specifically, is this a sound only you can hear? If that’s the case, you are likely suffering from tinnitus. This is a hearing condition that can be both temporary and permanent. Temporary tinnitus usually comes when you have been exposed to loud sounds – such as a loud bang or a music concert – or as a result of a blockage in your ears. Given time, it should fade away. However, if it has been happening for a long time, and you don’t think you have a blockage or have been exposed to loud noises, tinnitus can be a symptom of hearing loss.
It’s usually time to be concerned if you still have this persistent buzzing in your ears after a few weeks of it starting. Thankfully, managing tinnitus is easier than ever before as there are different ways you can either distract yourself from the buzzing or make it seem less annoying. One of these ways is by taking care of your hearing health and preventing further hearing loss. If you start getting tinnitus, it is worth seeing an audiologist just to get everything checked. It might be temporary, or it could be a sign of hearing loss.
You simply can’t hear people
Asking people to repeat themselves during conversations is one thing, but flat out being unable to hear people is another. This usually occurs when you are sitting at home and someone is calling you. They say your name over and over again, but you just don’t hear them. Then, they come into the room and tell you they’ve been calling you for the last 20 minutes!
Once more, don’t instantly worry if this happens to you all the time. Pay attention to your surroundings – is the TV on loudly? Are the doors closed? There can be many reasons you might not hear someone call your name. However, if the conditions are quiet, and you’re just sitting reading a book or something, it should be a cause for concern. It’s not just at home either, if you struggle to hear people call your name or talk to you at work or in public, this is a worrying sign.
What can you do when you detect any signs of hearing loss? Firstly, see a hearing health professional and they can help diagnose any issues. You will have a hearing test, but an inspection of your ears could also reveal a possible problem. A lot of people think they have hearing loss when they actually have a blockage in the ear canal – usually caused by wax. The simple removal of wax can cure all of the signs of hearing loss right away. If this isn’t the issue, you’ll need to work with your hearing doctor to devise a plan to prevent hearing loss from getting worse and worse.
