Perhaps you don’t think you have any symptoms of hearing loss, or perhaps you think the gaps in your hearing are manageable, or perhaps you’re hesitant to begin a new health program—there are many reasons why someone might delay getting a much-needed hearing test. Some people even wait ten years (or more!) after noticing hearing loss symptoms before seeking help.
Delaying doesn’t stop the progression of hearing loss, however, and untreated hearing loss can have massive ripple effects on your health and well-being. Let’s go over some signs to watch for that could indicate it’s time for you to get a hearing test.
Difficulty Hearing People Speak
A common joke among people with hearing loss, especially untreated hearing loss, is that “what?” is their favorite word. If you’ve found yourself asking people to repeat themselves frequently, that’s a common sign of hearing loss.
Asking for repeats isn’t the only speech-related symptom, however. Difficulty understanding speech is a major difficulty for people with hearing loss. This can also show up as:
- Mishearing words
- Difficulty following a conversation, especially in groups or loud settings
- Hearing someone speak, but not comprehending their meaning
- Feeling like everyone is mumbling
- Difficulty hearing people with higher-pitched voices, such as children and women
Issues with Background Noise
Have you been noticing background noise more often, and have you felt affected by it? This could look like feeling unreasonably irritated by a refrigerator humming, feeling overwhelmed when music is playing or getting easily distracted by background noise that would otherwise be unremarkable.
The auditory processing center in the brain is responsible for filtering out background noise and focusing on what you want or need to listen to. For people with hearing loss, the auditory processing center tends to be overworked, so it becomes less efficient at filtering background noise. This will raise your awareness of it and lead to those reactions.
Listener’s Fatigue
Mental energy is not an infinite resource. When the auditory processing center is overworked, as discussed above, the very act of listening takes a lot out of you; it can deplete your mental energy faster than before. People with untreated hearing loss may feel tired, mentally and even physically, after a period of intense listening, such as a long conversation or a meeting.
Turning the Volume Up
Turning the volume up on your TV or personal entertainment device is a fairly well-known symptom of hearing loss, but sometimes it’s easy to overlook because you turn the volume up without really thinking about it. It’s only when someone else calls attention to it that we notice that the volume has been turned up higher than usual.
Getting a Hearing Test
If any (or all) of these signs struck a chord with you, consider making an appointment for a hearing test at Bangor Audiology. Call today to make an appointment.