What are the early signs of hearing loss?

Often we see patients in our office that come in for tinnitus (ringing in the ears) or ear fullness and find out they actually have a permanent sensorineural hearing loss that they were not even aware of. Hearing loss is like a sneaky thief that can creep up on you gradually, stealing your hearing in such small increments without you even noticing. Usually it is our family members who notice it first. So what are the early signs of hearing loss?

First, it becomes difficult to understand conversation in crowded places and consonant sounds are harder to hear. As a result, you may misunderstand important parts of conversations and respond inappropriately or think people are mumbling. Second, you begin to put forth more listening effort to follow a conversation which can be exhausting at the end of the day. Listening is a brain activity and when your brain doesn't have access to certain sounds it requires a lot more effort for your brain to process what it is receiving. Third, common sounds have disappeared such as hearing the birds singing or crickets chirping or the turn signal blinking. Fourth, one of the most common signs of early hearing loss is tinnitus or ringing in the ears. 

It is estimated that more then 50 million people suffer from tinnitus. Hearing loss due to aging or noise induced hearing loss can cause tinnitus. Although sensorineural hearing loss can't be reversed, it can be treated. Diagnosis and treatment is important because untreated hearing loss has been linked to other mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, loneliness, and decreased cognitive function. Remember, hearing care is health care so if you are experiencing any of these signs, schedule a hearing examination with an audiologist.