Hearing loss affects people in different ways. These are the most common hearing loss symptoms, and if you experience one or more of these signs, you might have hearing loss.
Hearing loss symptoms & signs
Do you experience one or more of these common hearing loss symptoms and signs?
- You need to ask people to repeat themselves often
- It’s difficult to hear what people say, especially if there is background noise
- It’s difficult to keep up with conversations with two or more people
- It’s difficult to hear people with high voices, especially women and children
- It’s challenging to be in noisy environments like restaurants or shopping malls
- You notice that you watch people’s faces and lips more intently than you used to when they are speaking
- You listen to the TV or radio on a high-volume setting
- Noises sound muffled to you
- You feel like your ears are blocked or plugged
- You experience buzzing, ringing or hissing in your ears (also called tinnitus)
- You sometimes answer questions incorrectly because you misunderstood a word. For example, hearing “what time is it?” when someone asked you “what kind is it?”
You may have an increased chance of hearing loss if:
- You have been exposed to high-level noise for a long time
- You have been exposed to explosive noise once or more
- Hearing loss runs in your family
Hearing loss can also be connected to certain diseases and medications, if you are concerned about this please speak with your doctor or hearing care professional.
Three easy steps to getting a hearing aid
If you were to suddenly lose your eyesight, i.e. you sit in your car and you can’t see the road signs, you would notice very quickly and act on it instantly. Often, experiencing a hearing loss is not as straightforward. Many people who experience a hearing loss adapt coping mechanisms, that may work well in the beginning to help managing a hearing loss, but over time are simply not enough.
How do you know if you have hearing loss?
Hearing loss affects people in different ways. It can affect you socially and emotionally and it have an impact on your ability to live life to the fullest.
- Do you often need to ask people to repeat themselves?
- Does it sound like people are mumbling when they speak?
- Is it difficult to take part in conversations when there is background noise?
- Do you struggle to hear when someone speaks to you from another room?
- Do you listen to the radio or TV at a high volume?
- Have you noticed that you no longer hear some of the quieter and more subtle sounds of nature?
Hear better, smile more?
Yes, it's true. Hearing loss can affect you emotionally.
- Feeling stressed or tired from straining to hear what people say
- Feeling embarrassed about misunderstanding what people say
- Anxiety about being in social environments because you may not be able to hear people
- That you have started to avoid social situations that you used to enjoy
