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Do you have hearing loss? You may not even know it. It is far too common to live with hearing loss for years without realizing it. This is because hearing loss develops slowly over years. What starts as subtle misunderstandings becomes rationalized by the brain. You may start to believe that it is other people who mumble or speak too quietly. You may not even notice all the quiet sounds you are missing such as the chirping of birds, the wind in the trees, or the alarm of an oven beeping, until someone else comments on the sound you just can’t quite make out. However, just because you aren’t aware of hearing loss, doesn’t mean it isn’t affecting you, your relationships and your personal safety. Here are some tips to help you know if you may benefit from a hearing exam and treatment.
You struggle to hear over the telephone
You may have turned the volume of your smartphone or landline all the way up and still you struggle to hear what people are saying. You can blame it on the quality of the connection, but it may signal that there is an undiagnosed issue with your hearing. The good news is that by addressing the issue you may be able to find hearing aids or assistive listening devices which improve clarity and understanding on smartphones, laptops and landlines alike, such as wireless streaming to your ears and talk to text automatic live transcription.
You struggle to follow conversations when many people are speaking at once.
It is difficult for just about anyone to hear when there is a lot of noise and multiple people all speaking at once. However, as hearing loss progresses, our ability to process multiple incoming and competing signals gradually deteriorates. Next time you are at a work meeting or noisy dinner party and you are struggling to keep up with the conversations around you, it could signal that it is time to schedule a hearing exam
People complain about the volume of the television.
It seems like just about everyone uses subtitles every now when watching TV. As dialog can go fast it gives people an added benefit to follow along. For people with hearing loss subtitles are an essential aid to help to compensate for hearing issues. If you’ve found that you have the TV turned up to the maximum volume level and you still can’t hear, it may signal a hearing loss. Perhaps your family members complain about the volume of the TV leading to nightly squabbles or even your neighbor has noticed how loud you listen. If this is the case, then attending a hearing exam can help. We have many options to help you enjoy television and media with increased ease.
Social situations make you feel tired
When you have hearing loss it can be exhausting. While hearing loss starts in the ears in most instances, the process of hearing is completed in the brain where sounds and speech are processed. This means that a social interaction when living with an undiagnosed or untreated hearing loss may make you feel more cognitively exhausted, and this can impact your entire body. An everyday social interaction may leave you feeling drained and fatigued signaling a possible hearing loss.
Issues hearing in noisy environments
You may find that it is more difficult to follow along with conversation when you are at a busy restaurant or party, making what should be an enjoyable experience, a source of stress, frustration, and confusion. This is all too normal for people with hearing loss. We have solutions such as hearing aids and assistive listening devices with directional microphones. Directional microphones amplify the sounds of the speaker in front of you to improve comprehension in public and crowded settings and help you follow with greater ease to the conversations you want to hear.
You ask people to repeat themselves frequently
Perhaps the most common complaint we hear for people struggling with undiagnosed or untreated hearing loss is that you may find yourself asking “what did you say?” or “could you repeat that please?” all too often. If you find that you are interrupting conversations you have all the time, it means it is time to schedule a hearing exam. Contact us today to schedule your next hearing exam and discover all the options we have for you!