Common Symptoms of Hearing Loss

Because hearing loss often occurs gradually, you may not notice it's even happening. There are some classic signs, however, that are worth paying attention to. If you notice any of these signs are happening on a regular basis, it's time for a hearing test!

• You Are Losing Clarity of Voices.
  Hearing loss decreases our ability to detect softer sounds and the nuances of speech. This is often worsened when people speak softly, talk away from the listener, or talk from a distance.
• You Have Difficulty Hearing in Social Environments.
  This is one of the most noticeable symptoms of hearing loss. Often, we can fill in the gaps when we listen in a quiet environment or when speaking one-to-one. However, when we listen in a noisy setting, there is background noise that masks over the finer sounds of speech, making it far more challenging to listen to speech. Hearing loss quickly makes this situation extremely challenging. 
• You Are Turning up the TV.
  It's easy to turn the volume up on the TV if we can't understand but it's important to consider that although this may suit the individual with hearing loss, it won't suit others. It's very common to hear the TV loud but it's not clear. Clarity comes from the high pitches that are often lost first with hearing loss.
• You have ringing in your ears.
  It is estimated that 90% of people with tinnitus have hearing loss. Tinnitus can sound like ringing, cicadas, rushing, hissing or humming in your ear(s).
• You Are Exhausted.
  If you have a hearing loss, you'll have to pay more attention to fill in the gaps and unravel what was said. You'll depend a lot more on our eyes to get visual cues (lip movement and body language). All this extra effort can take a toll on our brain, resulting in physical and mental fatigue.

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