Losing your hearing – much like going gray – doesn’t happen overnight. Because hearing loss is a progressive condition, many people are unaware they have it until it has advanced beyond a stage that can be easily treated. But even if you feel like your hearing is fine, if you struggle to talk on the phone, understand children’s voices or carry on a conversation at Charleston Grill during lunch rush, you may already benefit from use of hearing aids.
The Early Signs of Hearing Loss
If you suspect you have some level of hearing loss, ask yourself the following questions:
- Am I exhausted after social events?
- Do I have trouble following conversations in noisy places?
- Do I have a hard time understanding the voices of women and children?
- Do I watch people’s lips instead of making eye contact?
- Do I have a hard time talking to someone when we’re not face-to-face?
- Do I have to ask people to repeat themselves frequently?
- Do I feel worn out, impatient, irritable or withdrawn more than usual?
- Does it feel/sound like my ears are clogged?
- Does it seem like those around me mumble or speak too softly?
- Does my family get annoyed or uncomfortable with the volume of the TV?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, there’s a chance you already have at least some level of hearing loss, so it’s important to schedule an appointment with an audiologist right away.
Do You Feel Like You Can Hear People but Not Understand Them?
One of the more common types of hearing loss is called high-frequency hearing loss. It means that hearing is normal or close to normal for low- and mid-pitch sounds, like vowels, but there is a loss of high-pitch sounds, like consonants.
This means that in normal conversation, the vowel sounds come through loud and clear, but the essential consonants that help you differentiate one word from another are missing. It is extremely common for people with this type of hearing loss to report they can hear just fine, but they can’t understand very well, especially in background noise.
For more information about hearing loss or to schedule an appointment for a hearing test, call the experts at The Hearing & Balance Center today.