What Are Early Signs of Hearing Loss?

Hearing loss is widely undertreated. Though 1 in 8 people have some degree of impaired hearing, only a third of people who could benefit from treatment actually receive it. There are many factors that contribute to delayed treatment including ignoring early signs of hearing loss. Hearing loss is a medical condition that often occurs gradually. This means that people may not readily notice symptoms or may ignore them until they get worse. This not only worsens hearing loss but also the effects it can have on health and wellness. Being able to recognize early signs can help you intervene swiftly which helps protect your hearing health. Common early signs include the following:

Conversations are challenging.

Hearing loss is a medical condition that reduces capacity to hear and process speech as well as sound. This produces a range of symptoms that makes it harder to hear including sounds being distorted or muffled. It can be especially difficult to hear in environments with background noise and in conversations with multiple people. You may experience:

Frequently asking others to repeat what they said, speak louder, and/or slower.
Replying with “huh” or “what”.
Lip reading to help identify individual words.
Nodding in agreement when you didn’t actually hear what is being said.
Shifting to hear with the ear that is “better”.
Feeling confused or lost during conversations.
Asking to move to a quieter space to be able to hear.

These effects make it tough to participate and navigate conversations. As a result, you may experience unpleasant conversations and others may feel frustrated by your seemingly lack of engagement.

Fatigue.

Hearing loss involves the brain receiving less auditory information. This forces the brain to work harder in trying to detect and process sound. Other parts of the brain can intervene to help with this which means that the brain is using more resources and energy. This is highlighted by the many strategies that people with hearing loss often use to hear during conversations – lip reading, shifting, asking for clarification etc. Using more energy can cause listening fatigue. So you may feel exhausted or drained after conversations and social activities which is a common sign of hearing loss.

Your ears are ringing.

Tinnitus is another common sign of hearing loss. It involves hearing a sound in one or both ears that only you can hear. This sound is most often described as a ringing or buzzing like noise that can me mild to more profound. Tinnitus can also be intermittent to more chronic. Not only does this make it harder to hear, but it can take a toll on your capacity to concentrate, complete daily tasks, manage work responsibility, and get quality sleep. These effects can produce irritability, fatigue, and frustration. It is estimated that 90% of cases of tinnitus occur with underlying hearing loss.

Turning up the volume.

A tell-tale sign of hearing loss is always turning up the volume. This includes increasing the volume on the TV and/or other electronic devices like your phone, speaker, computer etc. Turning up the volume seems like a natural solution: you can’t hear so turn it up. But increasing volume can actually further distort sound, making it harder to hear.

Social withdrawal.

To cope with symptoms, it is common for people with hearing loss to avoid conversations as much as possible. This may look like keeping conversations short, spending less time with loved ones, avoiding social activities and settings etc. Social withdrawal is a major effect of untreated hearing loss. Extensive studies show that this increases the risk of experiencing depressive symptoms like isolation, anxiety, and loneliness. Social withdrawal impacts social connection, relationships, and mental health.

Treating Hearing Loss

If any of these symptoms are familiar, it is important to have your hearing assessed as soon as possible. Hearing tests are painless and noninvasive, involving a process that measures your hearing capacity in both ears. There are effective ways that hearing loss is treated – hearing aids being the most common. Today’s hearing aids are more innovative than ever before, offering a range of options with savvy technologies and award winning designs.