Audio Obstacles: Top Signs Your Hearing is Depleting

Hearing loss can affect people of all ages and is often a gradual process. If you suspect that you’re losing your hearing, there are some telltale signs that could indicate that you have this problem. Here are some signs that your hearing is depleting.

Needing Higher Volume Settings

If you need to turn up your TV or radio to higher volumes than in the past just to be able to hear properly, you might be losing your hearing. Having to turn up the volume on your phone is another indicator of hearing loss. This may definitely be the case if other people around you are complaining that your volumes are too loud. If you only recently started doing this, you could have some blockage in your ears or another medical condition that’s preventing you from hearing clearly. Either way, you should go to a doctor or hearing clinic, like Whisper Hearing Centers, to have your hearing tested.

Difficulty Hearing Women and Children Speak

Struggling to understand what women and children, in particular, are saying is often an early sign of hearing loss. Caring.com states that higher-pitched sounds are among the first to go unheard when damage occurs in the exterior portion of the cochlea. The cochlea makes up the cavity of the inner ear where tiny hair cells receive and process sound vibrations. Since most women and children have higher-pitched voices than men, you may find yourself asking them to speak up more often. You’ll probably also have trouble hearing other sounds with higher pitches.

Unable to Hear Consonants

Being unable to hear the consonants of words that are spoken can also be indicative of hearing loss. The problem possibly stems from your aging brain instead of your ears. As people reach their 40s and 50s, the brain is often not able to process feedback as effectively, which sometimes makes it more difficult to hear consonants. The S, F and V consonants along with consonant sounds like Sh and Th are higher in pitch, which also makes them more difficult to hear if your hearing is depleting. Words will be harder to differentiate when you can’t hear the consonants.

Distracted by Background Noise

Background noise can always be a nuisance when trying to hear someone speak, but it’s often even more distracting for people with impaired hearing. This is because the inner ear’s neurons must work harder to process sound when background noise is present. These neurons often don’t function as well in people with hearing loss. Background noise can muffle the sounds that you’re trying to hear when a person speaks. This can create frustration situations for both you and the people around you.

Hearing loss isn’t always obvious at first, but you could have this problem if you’re noticing some changes with the way you interact with the world. Learning how to recognize the early signs of hearing loss and getting the right treatment may prevent the problem from getting worse.