Hearing loss is far more common than we realize because many people never lose their hearing completely. What happens is that they will often start losing their ability to hear long before even realizing that fact. Then they will procrastinate for as long as they can and by the time they get to a doctor, it’s likely that they will never be able to regain as much of their hearing with the help of audio prosthetics (advanced hearing aids), as they would have been earlier. Avoid ever getting to that stage where one of your prime senses is permanently compromised beyond recovery by simply paying heed to the following.
Take Free Online Hearing Tests Every Month
Unfortunately, none of the recognizable symptoms of hearing loss manifest as soon as the first stages of hearing loss begin. Short of undergoing a full audio spectrum test that checks the full range of human hearing, early detection is impossible. Now, taking hearing tests every month would have been an unfeasible and costly suggestion in the old days, but not quite so in the digital age.
We can check our hearing through genuine audiology online testing at any time we want to or need to these days. The test can detect even the earliest sign of hearing loss and it only takes about five quiet minutes with headphones to complete. Although anyone can suffer from hearing loss, you should take hearing tests more often if you work in:
- Any job that requires wearing and using headphones for several hours every day (call centers, stockbrokers, DJs, RJs, etc.).
- Manufacturing, carpentry, and metalworks.
- Logging and lumber.
- Construction and renovation.
Take Heed of People’s Complaints
Most of the time, people who are losing their ability to hear properly can’t tell that during the initial stages. However, people around them should be able to note the difference better. If several people are complaining that you don’t seem to hear them until they raise their voice, that’s a bad sign. This can happen over the phone, during face-to-face conversations, and in loud public settings.
It almost always means that there is something that is affecting your ability to hear. It could be an ear infection or a buildup of earwax, but it could also indicate hearing loss. Take an online test to confirm your suspicions and work with the specialists from thereon.
Inability to Understand Speech at Low Volume
Hearing is only the mechanical action of registering soundwaves, as it’s our brain’s temporal lobes that are responsible for interpreting them. Therefore, when someone speaks, the temporal lobes are responsible for recognizing and interpreting what they are saying. That’s why stroke patients are often unable to recognize speech. However, there is another, far more common reason behind people’s inability to understand what they are hearing which has nothing to do with the frontal lobes.
If your hearing is damaged, it is quite possible that the frontal lobes are only receiving partial information from the broken soundwaves picked up by your damaged ears. Therefore, it creates the disturbing sensation of being able to hear people speak, but not understand what they are saying.
Initially, speech will be recognizable at higher volumes, but this is the kind of hearing loss that only gets worse with time. If people around you tend to complain that you turn up the TV/music too high, that’s a sign of hearing loss. You will most likely be able to hear only garbled and muffled sounds at low volumes.
Trouble with the Consonants
If you are having trouble with hearing the consonants and you were able to pick it up early on, then you should consider yourself lucky. Inability to hear the consonants partially or completely in spoken language is one of the earliest signs of hearing loss. The following examples should make identifying hearing difficulties easier. Can you tell the difference between someone whispering:
- “slow” and “flow”
- “slap” and “slat”
- “shower” and “sour”
- “sheath” and “sheet”
A full spectrum hearing test should be able to confirm or negate your worries in minutes.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is a tricky subject, but it can be used as a symptom of hearing loss in extreme cases. By definition, tinnitus is a false ringing or buzzing sound that we hear even when there is no sound of that nature within the hearing range. Tinnitus itself is not a cause for worry because it happens naturally when:
- There is a sudden lull after a long period of exposure to constant noise (taking off the headphones after listening to loud music for a while).
- We are exposed to a sudden and loud bang (firecrackers, gunfire, etc.).
- We shift to a place that’s significantly quieter than our usual place of residence.
- We are exposed to a high pitched noise.
However, all these reactions only last for a short while. Eventually, your ears should stop ringing once they get used to the change. In case that does not happen, and you continue to hear that ringing noise all the time, it should be taken as a significant sign of hearing loss. Also, persistent clicking, roaring, hissing, and ticking noises are not common and should be taken as a sign of possible hearing loss.
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