The Subtle Signs of Hearing Loss

If you suffer from hearing loss, you would imagine it would be obvious, right?

Well, that’s precisely the problem; most people believe it would. Unfortunately, although severe or sudden hearing loss is easy to identify, mild to moderate gradual hearing loss can be too subtle to observe. That’s why, on average, people will wait five years or longer from the beginning of symptoms to seek help.

Think of hearing loss as a gradual leak in a tire. It’s difficult to notice the everyday changes, and it’s only when the tire becomes flat, and your car is no longer drivable, that you choose to act.

Regrettably, while tires are replaceable, your hearing is not. It can be to a degree restored, but the sooner you treat your hearing loss the more of your hearing you’ll get back.

So how can you discover the signs and symptoms of early-stage hearing loss? The following are some of the hidden signs that indicate you should get a hearing exam.

1. Difficulty hearing specific sounds

Frequently people think that hearing loss affects all types of sounds. Therefore, if you can hear some sounds normally, you believe you can hear all sounds normally.

Do not get caught into this mode of reasoning. The truth is that hearing loss primarily affects higher-frequency sounds. You may notice that you have particular difficulty hearing the voices of women and children, as an example, owing to the higher pitch.

This may possibly lead you to believe that the individuals you can’t hear are mumbling, when the reality is, you have high-frequency hearing loss.

2. Depending on context to understand

Somebody is talking from behind you and you can’t comprehend what they’re saying until you turn around and face them. You have to depend on body language, and potentially lip reading, for extra information to fill in the blanks.

Speech is composed of a wide range of frequencies, from low to high, with consonants representing the high frequencies and vowels representing the lower frequencies. The problem for those with high-frequency hearing loss is that consonants impart the most meaning yet are the most difficult to hear.

If you have hearing loss, speech comprehension is comparable to reading a sentence with missing letters. Most of the time, you’ll get it right, but when you don’t, you may discover yourself replying inappropriately or asking people to repeat themselves regularly. You may also experience difficulty hearing on the phone.

3. Difficulty hearing in busy settings

With mild hearing loss, you can usually decipher what other people are saying, albeit with lots of effort. As soon as background noise is presented, however, the task often becomes overwhelming.

You may discover that it’s overwhelming to hear in group settings or in loud environments like restaurants or social gatherings. The competing sounds and background noise are muffling your already affected hearing, making it exceedingly difficult to focus on any one source of sound.

4. Listening Fatigue

Finally, you may notice that you’re more fatigued than normal after work or after engagement in group settings. For those with hearing loss, the continuing struggle to hear, combined with the effort to comprehend incomplete sounds, can result in severe exhaustion, which is a non-obvious symptom of hearing loss.

Hearing loss is progressive and becomes more complicated to treat the longer you delay. If you experience any of these signs and symptoms, even if they’re only mild, we strongly encourage arranging a hearing test. By acting earlier, you can conserve your hearing and stay connected to your loved ones.