Hearing loss can be caused by many things and is generally extremely aggravating. While hearing loss is often caused by age or an injury, in some circumstances, hearing loss might be an indication of a more severe underlying medical condition.
Watch out for these hearing loss red flags
Hearing loss will frequently throw up a number of red flags meaning it’s time for a hearing exam. Pay attention if any of these red flags appear.
Trouble hearing on the telephone
You might be having a difficult time hearing phone calls even with the volume setting. If you are constantly cranking the volume up louder and louder on your cell phone or landline, you need to make an appointment as soon as you can for a hearing assessment.
Trouble making out conversations
Even though getting lost during a conversation isn’t always an indication of hearing loss, it might be a sign of hearing loss if you frequently have trouble processing the conversation when two or more individuals are talking at the same time.
People around you are complaining about the increasing volume of your TV
Following along with television shows, especially when there’s dialog and music, can be a challenge. It’s worthwhile to understand that turning the tv up louder doesn’t always make the sound clearer. But if you constantly need the tv turned up to a high volume that is unpleasant for others in the room or if your neighbors can hear your television, it is time to get your hearing checked.
Trouble hearing in loud environments
If you are in a public location and the background sound makes it difficult to hear the other people with you, it typically means you struggle to filter out background noise and tune into speech. Individuals who are going through hearing loss most commonly have this complaint.
You keep asking people what they said
Simply because you can’t hear someone 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 properly if the word “what” is the most used word in your vocabulary.
Failing to understand what people are saying
Misunderstanding what people say can be embarrassing and is often a sign of high frequency hearing loss. This type of hearing loss makes it hard to distinguish speech.
If you are dealing with any of the above red flags, you should schedule a hearing test as soon as you can. Luckily, the stigma that was once associated with hearing loss has nearly vanished, the exam is simple, and with the modern developments in hearing aid technologies, there is no reason for you to continue to suffer with hearing loss.