It’s easy to let some things fall through the cracks when life gets busy. You might exercise a little less, forget to turn in reports at work or even miss the early signs of hearing loss.
What Are the Signs of Hearing Loss
Some signs of hearing loss include:
- Frequently asking people to repeat themselves
- Feeling like others are mumbling
- Turning up the volume on the TV, phone or radio higher than others prefer
- Struggling to follow conversations in noisy places, like restaurants or family gatherings
- Missing parts of conversations, especially when multiple people are talking
- Feeling tired or frustrated after listening for long periods
- Ringing, buzzing or humming sounds in your ears
- Avoiding social situations because conversations feel too difficult to follow
When you see them written down, all the signs of hearing loss feel obvious, but that’s rarely the case.
Why Do the Signs of Hearing Loss Slip Under the Radar?
Hearing loss is common, affecting approximately 15% of U.S. adults. Despite its prevalence, noticing the signs isn’t always easy. Three reasons you might miss hearing loss include:
- It’s gradual. Unless hearing changes arise from a sudden illness, injury or exposure to loud noise, hearing loss usually develops slowly over time. As a result, the symptoms tend to appear gradually. You might turn the television volume up a notch here and there without realizing it until someone else finally points it out. Remember that the signs aren’t showing up in full force one day. They’re showing up as thousands of tiny moments.
- Your brain adjusts. As your hearing changes, your brain adjusts, filling in gaps and helping you compensate without you even noticing it. While this adaptation can make day-to-day life easier, it can also delay awareness of a problem, allowing hearing loss to progress quietly in the background until it’s too pronounced to ignore.
- It’s easy to blame your environment. Hearing loss can be even harder to spot in noisy environments like workplaces, Tyler restaurants or family gatherings. Background noise can mask hearing difficulties, making it seem like everyone struggles to hear in these situations. When you’re constantly multitasking or moving between busy settings, those challenges can start to feel normal. Over time, it becomes easy to assume the problem is your environment when hearing loss may actually be playing a significant role.
Scheduling regular hearing tests is the best way to ensure you don’t miss hearing loss if it comes knocking. Contact SoundLogic today to schedule your test with one of our specialists.