“What was that?” 

“I didn’t hear you.” 

“Speak up!”

Sound familiar? Sometimes hearing loss isn’t as easy to self-diagnose as you’d think. It often takes input from friends or family members for someone to realize they aren’t hearing as well as they should. Sometimes even that isn’t enough to convince them! That’s why knowing the common signs or symptoms of poor hearing can be helpful. They can aid you in knowing the proper time to seek help and get a diagnosis.

The most common and noticeable symptom of hearing loss is when sounds or others’ speech seems muffled. This can be during a conversation with a loved one, on the phone, or on the TV during your favorite program. When this happens, people often have to ask others to repeat themselves or turn the volume up louder than usual on the TV or radio. These are both signs there’s an issue with your hearing.

Another sign you might have a problem is if you start having trouble hearing others in crowded or noisy spaces. Of course, making out words in a loud environment can be difficult for anyone, but typically once someone yells loud enough or is close enough, a person can make out what they’re saying. If you feel like there’s no way you could understand someone in such a setting, then it might be time to have your hearing checked.

A couple more symptoms include trouble making out consonants and ringing in the ears. Consonants can sometimes blend together in words, making them difficult to hear if your ears aren’t working properly. A ringing in your ears can indicate a number of things, but sometimes it signals damage to the inner ear or nerves. 

Untreated hearing issues like this can lead to people withdrawing from social situations or conversations because they’re embarrassed to keep asking what was said. This can have further negative repercussions on their mental and emotional health. This is why acknowledging these issues and addressing them with a professional as soon as possible is the best way to combat potential hearing loss. We’d be happy to help, so call and make an appointment today!