The tell-tale signs of early hearing loss
Have you found yourself saying “what?” more often? Does everyone seem to be mumbling lately? Are you regularly turning the volume up higher and higher on your TV or headphones?
When the sounds of everyday life become a little harder to decipher, it may be time to check your hearing. As with many health conditions, seeking out help before symptoms start to develop offers you the best chance of preserving your hearing.
Why does hearing loss occur?
Hearing loss occurs when the quality of our hearing starts to diminish. This can occur through natural aging or from damage due to exposure from loud noises. Other potential causes of hearing loss include earwax or fluid buildup, ear infections, physical damage to the eardrum, and medication side effects.
Exposure to loud sounds increases our susceptibility to hearing loss. Because of this, older adults and those who work in noisy environments are most at risk. But, genetic disorders and other factors can cause other age groups and populations to lose their hearing prematurely.
Signs you may be experiencing hearing loss
Early hearing loss is not always noticeable. Because it can develop quickly, it is important to see an audiologist as soon as you start to notice the first early signs. Here are a few of the common signs that often to point to healing loss:
You catch yourself saying “what?” more often.
You find loud environments or social situations tiring and have difficulty concentrating.
You feel more confused or “out of the loop” in conversations.
You find it hard to understand others and often ask them to speak more clearly.
You turn up the volume on the TV, radio, or phone higher than you used to.
You find it difficult to locate where sound is coming from.
Hearing others on the phone is more difficult than usual.
You notice tinnitus or ringing in the ears.
You feel more unbalanced.
Your family members or friends believe your hearing is diminishing (others are often able to notice the early signs before we notice them in ourselves).
Address hearing loss early for a clear future
While hearing loss is a natural part of the aging process, when left untreated it can greatly diminish our quality of life and lead to mental and emotional distress. Stay on top of your hearing health by protecting your ears in loud environments and keeping the volume on your TV, computer, and phone at 50% or below. When you notice these early signs of hearing loss, make a visit to the audiologist to have your hearing checked professionally.
While there are many tools out there to help those with mild to severe hearing loss, there are few solutions that can help these hearing devices work better. Most hearing devices focus on amplifying sound. While this is helpful, it can still be difficult for wearers to decipher speech from background noise.
That’s why we developed HeardThat - an app that has the power to separate noise from clear speech, making hearing in noisy situations easier. This app pairs smartphone technology with your own hearing device or headphones.
Ready to get back in the conversation? Sign up to test HeardThat today!