Hearing loss doesn’t happen overnight. It’s not like you just wake up one morning and notice that you can’t hear properly. It happens gradually over time and you adjust to your new level of hearing, which means that people often don’t notice there is an issue until their hearing problem is quite severe. The problem is, it’s much harder to treat if you catch it late, so you need to pay attention to your hearing. There are a few key things you should watch out for if you want to maintain good hearing health. Here’s how to spot the early signs of a hearing problem.
Get Regular Hearing Tests
Regular hearing tests are vital if you want to spot a hearing problem early. Often, the initial changes to your hearing are not noticeable, but they will be picked up by a hearing test. If you have a hearing test every year or two, you will be able to pick up any changes much sooner.
It’s important to note that the only way to ensure your hearing is good enough for everyday situations is to have a professional check it regularly. Follow the link to learn more about how often you should get your ears tested. This doesn’t just apply to elderly people either, you should be getting a test semi-regularly, even if you are young because hearing problems can affect anybody.
Turning Up The TV Volume
If you are finding that you have to turn up the volume on your TV, then it’s time to see a doctor. It might only seem like a small inconvenience now, but if it is left untreated, this type of hearing loss can get worse. It’s worth taking note of what level you have the TV volume on normally. If you notice that you’re gradually increasing it over time, even if you don’t feel like your hearing has changed, you need to see an audiologist right away and get your ears checked.
Feeling Tired After Social Events
If you find that going to a birthday party or meeting up with friends leaves you feeling drained and exhausted, then it could be a sign of hearing loss. This is because you have been straining your ears throughout the event to compensate for the increased volume levels. Going out to social events can be difficult if you don’t have good hearing because there are so many background sounds and your ears struggle to pick out specific sounds, like talking. If this draining effect gets worse as time goes on, it’s likely that your hearing isn’t as good as it should be. This is an issue with hearing loss that people often overlook and it causes people to withdraw from social situations and isolate themselves. Over time, this can even contribute to mental health issues so, the sooner you address this issue, the easier life will become.
Trouble Hearing On The Phone
If you find that you struggle to hear your friends and family on the telephone, then it could be a sign of hearing loss. The sounds coming through a phone are generally harder to separate, regardless of whether you have hearing loss issues or not. But for somebody with bad hearing, this is a nightmare. If your family and friends tell you that they keep asking you to repeat things, it’s time to start taking note of what they are saying. It might be hard at first because you’re not used to the adjustments that need to be made in normal conversation but, if you don’t do anything about your hearing health, it will only get worse. You will probably need to get specialist hearing aids with a telecoil that allows you to hear much better when talking on the phone, especially if you talk on the phone regularly at work.
Difficulty Hearing Children
If you find that it is difficult to hear what your kids are saying or play with them without straining, then it could mean that your hearing isn’t as good as it should be. In most cases, it is the part of the inner ear that helps you hear high-pitched sounds that fails first. So, most people with hearing loss issues find that they have difficulty hearing children, to start with, and then adults later on as the hearing loss progresses.
Hearing problems are incredibly common and they can strike at any age. It’s important that you catch them early, so you need to watch out for these subtle signs that could indicate a problem. As soon as you spot any of them, seek advice from an audiologist right away.
