4 Signs You Have Hearing Loss

As people get older, they will notice subtle changes in their hearing. It’s a natural part of the aging process, but for some individuals, those changes in hearing can have a detrimental impact on their lives.

Some people may even experience hearing loss from a much early age, such as in their teenage years or younger. The thing is, everyone needs to pay attention to those first signs of hearing loss.

Are you concerned that you might be experiencing hearing loss? If you’re unsure, here are four of the most common signs, followed by some actionable steps you can take to improve your situation:

1. You can’t follow conversations in noisy places

It’s no secret that conversations can sometimes be hard to follow in loud environments like parties and outdoor social events. But what happens if you find it challenging to understand people is less-noisy settings?

For example, if you go for a walk with someone, do you find yourself always asking the other person to repeat certain things they’ve said? And have you noticed that happening if the person isn’t facing you (i.e., they’re walking alongside you and facing ahead)?

If those scenarios sound familiar, it could be a sign that you are experiencing hearing loss. You may also notice that it’s hard to hear what children or women are saying to you. That’s because higher-pitched sounds are the first to fail when a person experiences hearing loss.

2. You keep trying to lip-read people

In ordinary, everyday conversations with other people, you would generally be making eye contact with other individuals. Do you find yourself looking at people’s lips instead of their eyes when you talk to them?

When one of your body’s senses start failing, such as your ears, you subconsciously try to make up for that problem by relying on your other senses. In this case, you may find yourself trying to decipher a person’s speech by looking for clues in how they speak.

One example is when a person speaks out a word beginning with the letter ‘P’ or ‘F’ – you can “see” those sounds because of the individual’s pronunciation through their lips.

You might not mean to read people’s lips, but it just happens because your brain is trying to process the words and sentences spoken to you that seemingly aren’t coherent to your hearing.

3. Talking with people tires you out

Do you feel quite exhausted after having a conversation with someone? Even if you’ve not done anything incredibly exhaustive that day? The chances are high that the cause of your exhaustion is due to your hearing loss.

When people can’t hear what others are saying very well, the brain has to compensate in various ways to make sense of the conversation. One example is, of course, lip-reading. The brain has to focus a lot of energy on “filling the gaps” of a conversation.

As you can imagine, when you have a long conversation with someone or a group of people, focusing that energy for such a long period can tire you out. When you’re away from such social settings, all you want to do is relax or just go to bed and sleep!

4. You keep turning up the volume on your devices

One final tell-tale sign that you’re experiencing hearing loss is when you have to keep turning up the volume on your electronics. You’ll often increase the sound on your radio, TV, smartphone, and other devices that you use regularly.

If you live in a household with other people, and they often complain you have the volume up too high, it virtually guarantees that you’re experiencing hearing loss.

How to deal with hearing loss

If any of the above tell-tale signs of hearing loss ring true with you, you are likely experiencing hearing loss. The cause might be due to the aging process, or it could be because of a linked medical condition or past trauma.

With that in mind, one of the best ways to deal with hearing loss is by wearing some discreet hearing aids. If you have concerns about your hearing loss, it makes sense to schedule an audiologist appointment.

An audiologist is a hearing professional that can diagnose and treat people who are experiencing hearing loss. Gavin Audiology and Hearing Aids are among NY’s leading audiologists, and we’re a family practice with over three decades of experience.

Our offices in Greenwich, Tarrytown and Cortlandt Manor feature the latest in cutting-edge tools and technology to deliver hearing aid solutions to all our clients.

Contact us today at (914) 610-3440 to schedule an appointment and discuss your hearing concerns with our friendly team.