Hearing loss can be caused by numerous things and is usually extremely frustrating. While hearing loss is commonly due to age or an injury, in some circumstances, hearing loss might be a symptom of a more serious root medical condition.
Look out for these hearing loss red flags
Hearing loss will often throw up a variety of red flags indicating it’s time for a hearing assessment. Here are some of those red flags that should make you take notice.
Having difficulty hearing phone calls
You might be having a hard time hearing phone calls even with the volume setting. You should call us for a hearing exam if you find yourself continuously cranking the volume up on your phone.
Difficulty making out conversations
Even though getting lost when you’re having a conversation isn’t always an indication of hearing loss, it might be a sign of hearing loss if you regularly have a hard time processing the conversation when two or more individuals are talking simultaneously.
Family & neighbors are complaining about a loud TV
Following along with television shows, particularly when there’s dialog and music, can be difficult. We need to understand that the sound doesn’t necessarily get clearer when you turn up the volume. But if you constantly need the tv cranked up to a high volume that is uncomfortable for other people in the room or if your neighbors can hear your television, it is time to get your hearing checked.
Trouble hearing in noisy settings
If you are in a public location and the background noise makes it difficult to hear the other people with you, it typically means you struggle to mask background noise and focus on speech. This is one of the most common complaints of people who are going through hearing loss.
You say “what” a lot
Simply because you aren’t able to hear somebody mumbling several feet from you doesn’t mean you have hearing loss. However, it might be a red flag that you aren’t receiving and processing speech correctly if the word “what” is the most used word in your vocabulary.
Misunderstanding what people say
It can be an indication of high frequency hearing loss, often an embarrassing one, if you frequently misunderstand what people are saying. This form of hearing loss makes it hard to distinguish speech.
If you are experiencing any of the above red flags, you should schedule a hearing assessment as soon as you can. Luckily, the stigma that was once linked to hearing loss has nearly vanished, the exam is easy, and with the modern developments in hearing aid technologies, there’s no reason for you to continue to suffer with hearing loss.