Almost 500 million people worldwide suffer from some degree of hearing loss. Some are born deaf, while others progressively lose hearing later in life. Hearing loss is especially common as our bodies age and the senses naturally decline.
Overcoming the Stigma of Hearing Loss
Despite the prevalence of hearing loss, many people ignore it or try to mask it with humor. Or they pretend to understand even when they don’t, which can result in awkward situations.
Hearing loss comes with a side of a symphony playing in the ears, known as tinnitus. Not much is known about tinnitus, neither the cause nor a cure.
Some people have found help in tinnitus treatment with a hearing aid equipped with 5 pre-static noise sounds.
Tinnitus is just one symptom of hearing loss. There are other warning signs to listen to.
5 Signs of Hearing Loss You Shouldn’t Ignore
It’s very rare to wake up one day with significant hearing loss that happened seemingly overnight. Most hearing loss is gradual but people either ignore or don’t recognize the signs. There are 5 signs that mean it’s time to visit a hearing specialist.
- You have difficulty hearing on the phone. People with hearing loss find phone conversations to be muffled or unclear. Difficulty hearing on the phone can result in anxiety and isolation because answering the phone is a problem.
- You can’t follow conversations with two or more people. With normal hearing, the brain can process sounds coming from multiple directions. With decreased hearing, it can become impossible to follow conversations in a group setting. Asking friends and family for one-on-one conversations can make it easier to communicate.
- Visitors complain that your television is too loud. People with hearing loss tend to crank up the volume on the television or radio. It’s only when someone with normal hearing is exposed to the sound that is unexpectedly loud. The hearing-impaired person often doesn’t realize how loud the device is
- You often have to ask others to repeat themselves. Saying “What?” repeatedly might make you the butt of many jokes, but it is actually a sign that your hearing isn’t what it used to be. Eventually, people with hearing loss stop asking for clarification and just accept being excluded.
- You have difficulty making out words in noisy environments. For those with hearing loss, background noise can drown out the spoken words of their companion. This often leads to miscommunication or frustration over not being able to hear what is being said.
Get Your Hearing Tested Today
A hearing specialist can perform a test that determines the configuration of hearing loss. The configuration graphs whether high or low frequencies are heard better, which helps to find a solution that works for a specific type of hearing loss.
Contrary to popular belief, not all hearing loss is the same. It can come in varying degrees, including which tones are heard more clearly than others. One thing that does remain constant is tinnitus, though that, too, can vary in severity.