Some signs are easier to overlook than others. Take, for example, the check engine light on your car. You know it means you need to get your car serviced, but it’s still getting you from A to B. Until one day, of course, it breaks down and you’re left stranded. Your hearing is unlikely to suddenly stop working altogether, but there are subtle signs that it may not be in such good shape. Ignoring them can mean that one day you’ll realize that you’re just not enjoying life the way you used to. So what exactly are those signs?
Here are a few of the most common signs of a hearing loss that you can look out for:
Difficulty hearing women, children, and consonant sounds
Women and children usually speak in higher tones. Consonants, when spoken, are also at the higher end of sound frequencies. As hearing high-frequency sounds becomes harder with a hearing loss, women and children become more of a challenge to understand and consonants sounds are increasingly missed.
Difficulty hearing in noisy environments
Following a conversation when there is a lot of background noise is much harder with a hearing loss, whether that noise is music blaring or other conversations going on.
Experiencing headaches more often
Hearing loss means the brain has to work much harder to piece together the sounds it does receive from your ears. This can result in headaches becoming a more frequent occurrence.
Feeling increasingly tired
The stress of not being able to follow conversations, getting into misunderstandings more often, and experiencing headaches more frequently can all leave you feeling more tired and irritable at the end of the day.
Turning the volume up
One of the first signs of hearing ability diminishing is how loud the volume on the TV gets turned up. While you may not notice how high you’ve turned the volume up, those around you may find it is uncomfortably loud.
Ear swapping when answering the phone
Talking on the phone can be especially difficult if you have a hearing loss. As a result, you may develop the habit of swapping the phone from one ear to the other in an attempt to hear the conversation better. If you are experiencing these signs of a hearing loss, it is time to get a hearing assessment by an Audiologist, a doctor specially trained to diagnose and treat hearing and balance disorders.
Get in touch with the experts
At Scottsdale Ear, Nose & Throat, our Audiologists have a wealth of expertise and experience in treating all kinds of hearing loss. All you need to do to take back control of your hearing health is call us at 480-684-1080 to book a hearing assessment at our state-of-the-art hearing care center.
