Have you been struggling to follow conversations lately, or has your family told you your hearing isn’t as sharp as it used to be? Whether you’ve been wondering about your hearing health for a while, or have just started noticing changes in your hearing, it’s important to be able to recognize the signs of hearing loss. Since hearing loss is often a gradual process, it can be hard to notice small daily changes to your hearing, so it’s important to be able to recognize the early warning signs of hearing loss.

Hearing in Background Noise

One of the earliest warning signs that your hearing isn’t as clear as it used to be is having difficulty hearing in background noise. In the quiet of your living room you might be able to hear just fine, but as soon as you’re at a crowded restaurant, or with a group of friends at your neighborhood cafe, you feel that you simply can’t follow conversations.Why is it so much harder to hear in background noise than in a quiet place? When you’re exposed to a lot of background noise, your ears and your brain aren’t able to handle all the sounds coming into your ears, and have difficulty separating important speech sounds from the distracting background sounds. That is why you have trouble communicating in a noisy place, and struggling to hear in background noise is an early sign that your hearing isn’t as good as it once was.

Turning up the Volume

Has the volume on your TV been creeping higher and higher? If your family has been complaining that the TV or radio is too loud, or you’re always turning up the volume, you’re experiencing an early sign of hearing loss. Rather than blaming the TV programing, recognize this sign of hearing loss, and book a hearing test rather than reaching for the remote.

Talking on the Phone

Have you stopped answering the phone when your children call? Are you tired of struggling to understand conversation over the phone, or find it impossible to follow conversations without facial cues? Talking on the phone is often extremely difficult for someone with hearing loss, even if you don’t notice hearing loss in other areas. Straining to hear on the phone is another sign of hearing loss, and shouldn’t be ignored.

Asking People to Repeat Themselves

Do you often ask people to repeat themselves? Are you always reminding your friends to speak more slowly, loudly, or clearly? If you’ve noticed that everyone around you has started to speak too softly or mumble a lot, it’s time to consider that it might not be them, but your ears. Asking people to repeat themselves is another sign of hearing loss.

Avoiding Social Situations

Have you recently turned down an invitation to dinner, or chosen to stay home rather than meeting a group of friends? Avoiding social situations is another sign of hearing loss, and if you have trouble hearing, you might not feel comfortable in large groups. As you start to have difficulty communicating, you may feel uncomfortable asking someone to repeat themselves over and over, or feel embarrassed when you accidentally answer a question inappropriately. If you’ve been choosing to stay home rather than head out to social events, or find yourself withdrawing from conversations, you probably have hearing loss.

Glendora Hearing

Symptoms of hearing loss can range from occasional difficulty in following conversations to complete inability to communicate, and can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, or social isolation. If you’ve recognized any of these signs of hearing loss in yourself or a loved one, visit us at Glendora Hearing for a comprehensive hearing test. We’ll assess your hearing and help you get a clear picture of your unique hearing needs.When it comes to hearing aids, we work with some of the world’s leading hearing aid manufacturers to provide you with the best in hearing technology. Whatever your level of hearing loss and hearing needs, we have the device that will work for you. From behind the ear devices to tiny devices that sit well within your ear and are nearly invisible, we can offer you the best in hearing help. Visit us today and start your journey to clear hearing.