Identifying the Signs of Hearing Loss

For some, the experience of hearing loss comes suddenly. Perhaps an injury or single incident makes it clear that hearing has been compromised or lost. Those who suffer an accident, are present during an explosion, or encounter repeated loud sounds in the workplace may have no doubt that they are no longer able to hear in a certain range. For others, the process is less clear. They may have encountered loud gatherings or events where hearing was difficult, but they were uncertain if it was the fault of the loud environment or their own hearing. If you have a sense that you or your loved one is hearing less than before, the following signs can be a good starting place to urge you or your loved one to seek treatment or assistance.

Hearing Loss Symptoms

A few symptoms can be a clear sign that you should seek out a hearing test. If you find yourself asking people to repeat themselves or asking them to speak up, you may have lost hearing in the audible range of the voice. Other communication difficulties can be symptoms, including the sound of mumbling, muffled voices, or the inability to follow along with conversation.

Needing to turn up the volume on audio devices is another clear symptom. Televisions, radios, and music players can become quite loud before a person realizes that they are not hearing clearly in a reasonable range.

You may require the assistance of a friend, family member, or other loved one to help you know if the volume on these devices is too loud for them, as a point of comparison. Difficulties on the telephone can be a symptom, as well, and you may even feel like the phone is defective. Some people become unable to hear the phone or alarms ringing, making them miss calls or wake-up times.

Hearing Loss Situations

Others experience hearing loss as a sense of discomfort, anxiety, frustration, or even depression associated with situations that require acute hearing. If you find yourself worried or anxious about attending social events or parties, you may be anticipating a difficult listening environment. Perhaps this anxiety event spreads more generally to social situations.

You may avoid attending events or gatherings, knowing that you will be expected to carry on difficult conversations. Rather than demonstrate your confusion or even mistake what others are saying, you might prefer to stay home and disengage from these situations all together. Others experience frustration or anger as a result of hearing difficulty.

If you find that others are not speaking in a way you can understand, then you might blame them for the problem, getting worked up or annoyed. In some instances, this nexus of troubles leads to depression, feeling hopeless and isolated through the lack of meaningful social interaction. When you are no longer able to communicate with even your closest loved ones, the feeling of isolation can be incredible, weighing you down.

Hearing Loss Diagnosis

The real trouble with hearing loss is that you don’t know what you aren’t able to hear. Birds, everyday noises in the home, or sounds you encounter out-and-about may disappear from the audible range, and you are simply unaware. Without diagnosis by a professional, it is difficult to ascertain exactly what sounds are missing from your hearing and to what degree.

Visit Us at La Canada Hearing

Take the first step toward better hearing by contacting us at La Cañada Hearing. We will begin with a consultation to understand exactly what situations have made hearing difficult. After that conversation, we will provide a comprehensive hearing test. This test is completely painless and often very quick.

By simply playing a series of tones at different volumes and asking you to declare which sounds are audible and which are not, the test will be able to assess your hearing ability. With this simple test, we can identify whether or not you have a hearing loss. If a hearing loss is detected, we will prescribe hearing aids that meet your specific need. The sounds you need to hear for independent living, along with the relationships so dear to you, can be restored to fluency and ease.