Have you been noticing changes in your hearing? Are you having trouble following conversations, or failing to hear the ringing of the phone? Hearing clearly is more important than you think, and is critical for your mental, emotional, and physical health. If you’ve been wondering if it’s time to book a hearing test, here are a few signs that you need get that hearing assessment.
Missing Out on Normal Sounds
Think back to the last time you heard birds singing or could hear the neighbor kids playing. Do you always hear the doorbell, or the ringing of the phone? Since hearing loss is gradual, you may not notice these sounds as they slowly disappear, but if you take a minute to think about it, you may realize you’re missing a lot more normal sounds than you think.
You Ask People to Repeat Themselves
Have you found yourself asking “what?” far more often than usual? Does it feel like you can’t understand anything until you’ve heard it twice? This might lead to a few funning misunderstandings, but in the long run it creates a lot of frustration, both for you and for your family and friends. It’s a clear sign that you need a hearing test.
You Feel Tired All the Time
You may not think about your hearing when you feel fatigued but straining to hear all the time takes a toll on your energy levels. You’ll feel extra tired after a coffee date with a friend, accuse your loved one of mumbling, or feel a lot more stressed than you used to. You may also find that it’s harder to pay attention or focus on tasks, especially in the evenings. If you’ve been feeling extra tired, it could be a sign that you have hearing loss and need to get a hearing test.
You Have Trouble Hearing in Noise
One of the first signs of hearing loss is having difficulty hearing in noise. Think about the last time you were at a restaurant with friends. Did you have trouble following the conversation, or miss the punchline of too many jokes? It’s tempting to blame it on your friends, or chalk it up to the loud music, but it’s time to admit that your ears just aren’t as sharp as they once were. One of the earliest signs of hearing loss is struggling to hear in places with a lot of background noise. Your ears might be able to handle one on one conversations in quiet places, but when there are sounds coming from all sides, you have trouble separating background sounds from important speech sounds, leading to problems hearing.
You Turn up the Volume
Has your family been complaining that the TV is too loud? Have you been turning up the volume louder than usual, sitting closer to the TV, or using subtitles for everything? This is another early warning sign of hearing loss, and a clear indication it’s time to book a hearing test. When it comes to understanding speech, especially on the TV, the first sounds that are affected are consonants. Even if you don’t think you have a problem hearing, you miss a lot of the consonant sounds, and have trouble understanding speech. Are you turning up the volume on the phone, or yelling into the receiver? It’s time to admit that you need a hearing test.
You have Ringing in Your Ears
Another early sign of hearing loss is tinnitus, or that ringing or buzzing in your ears whenever you’re in a quiet place. While we all experience temporary tinnitus after a particularly loud concert or after a rowdy ball game, if you have hearing loss it’s common to struggle with tinnitus a lot more often. It’s a sign that your ears and brain aren’t functioning as well as they should and aren’t picking up on the sounds around you.
Schedule a Hearing Test
If you’ve been experiencing any of these signs of hearing loss, visit us at the nearest My Hearing Centers location for a hearing assessment. Our hearing specialists will talk to you about your hearing health, as well as your overall health, test your hearing in quiet and in noise, and help you find a hearing device that fits your lifestyle and hearing needs.