10 Signs You Might Have Hearing Loss

Like any medical condition, the sooner you address hearing loss the the more likely you are to get effective treatment. Here are 10 common signs that you may have hearing loss. 

1. You’re often asked to turn the volume down when you’re watching TV or listening

to the radio

This one is a dead giveaway. If you have to crank the sound up all the way to 11 just to hear your the news or keep up with the Kardashians, you most likely suffer from hearing loss - and this habit isn’t helping the situation much, either.

2. You ask people to repeat themselves...a lot

“Huh?” “Come again?” “Sorry, I don’t speak Dutch!” Okay, so maybe that last one is a bit extreme. Still, that might as well be what you say to people after asking them to repeat what they said for the fifth or sixth (or possibly even seventh) time.

3. You miss a lot of phone calls

Or texts, if that’s your preferred mode of communication. It’s hard to hear our mobile phones sometimes, especially if they’re set on vibrate. But when their ringtones are set at maximum volume, you’ve probably got a problem.

4. You have an “ear preference”

If you ask people to speak into one specific ear that you lean in towards them with on a regular basis, then yes: you may have some degree of hearing loss.

5. You would rather avoid social gatherings at all costs

Some of us are hermits. That’s a fact of life. Introversion is just as cool as extraversion, even if it’s not nearly as glamorous or as popular. But if you’re keeping to yourself because you can’t hear others well and would rather avoid hassle and embarrassment, you’re seriously missing out and probably need to get a hearing test.

6. You find it difficult to carry a conversation in a noisy environment

Let’s say that you curb your impulse to hide away from the world and do go out to a social gathering of some sort. Like a dinner party. You try to chat someone up but can’t quite make out what they’re saying because the dull roar of random strangers chattering in the background gets in the way. Guess what? You may have hearing loss.

7. You have trouble hearing women’s and children’s voices

Even if you are a woman - or a child. Women’s and children’s voices have a softer, higher pitch than men’s, which means that if you’re hard of hearing, they’ll be harder to listen to.

8. You’ve been told that you mumble a lot or speak too loudly

Why? Because you’re the one who’s closest to your voice, so you hear it loud and clear. Depending on the nature and severity of your hearing loss, you may not be able to fully enjoy the beautiful sound your own vocal chords make. Now that’s a real shame.

9. You feel off balance and/or dizzy

A fairly recent study conducted by Johns Hopkins University stated that the risk of having a fall increases by 140% for every 10 decibels of hearing lost. This means that something’s not quite right inside your labyrinth - and we’re not talking about the David Bowie movie with all the puppets, either. The labyrinth we speak of is the part of your inner ear that’s connected to your vestibular system. When that’s out of whack, so is your balance - and sometimes your hearing.

10. You can’t hear sounds behind you

Reduced or limited hearing is directly proportional to reduced spatial awareness. This means you aren’t going to hear your coworker yelling your name behind you in the parking lot, hoping that you’ll turn around and notice them. When they get offended that you don’t, you’ll have one extra thing to feel stressed about. Man, hearing loss can be a real drag.

Moving Forward 

If you recognise just one or two of these signs, your hearing may not necessarily be affected. Even people with perfectly normal hearing experience times where they have trouble understanding someone or hearing in challenging environments. However, if you frequently recognise more than a few of these signs or any other common hearing loss symptoms, it is highly recommended that you get a hearing test so you can continue to enjoy the beauty of the world in sound.

Love your hearing.