5 Signs You Need Hearing Aids
Nearly 50 million Americans suffer from hearing loss. Why so many? Maybe it’s because they don’t know that hearing aids can easily solve their problem. Hearing aids that are programmed well by a licensed audiologist are one of the best ways to treat hearing loss. Or maybe it’s because many people don’t recognize these five common symptoms of hearing loss.
1. People have mentioned that you are having trouble hearing
Your friends and family tend to recognize that you have a hearing loss before you yourself do. After all, you don’t notice the sounds you can’t hear until someone else points them out. It is often out of consideration friends and family suggest you pursue hearing loss. They are struggling to communicate with you and you are struggling to understand them.
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2. People sound like they are mumbling
When an audiologist looks at the range of human hearing, they typically break down the speech range into low, medium, and high pitches. With hearing loss in the high pitches, speech is less clear. To you, it seems like people are always mumbling.
3. You can hear people talking, but can’t understand them
Being able to hear someone doesn’t exactly mean that you can understand them. The low pitches are primarily responsible for the volume of speech. Vowels, “a”, “e”, “i”, “o” and “u” comprise the low tones in words. Since many people lose hearing in the high pitches first, it is common to feel like you can hear someone but not understand them. The consonants, the softer parts of words are the parts that give the words meaning. This is the parts of words people with hearing loss often are unable to hear. Hearing loss patients will often state “I know people are speaking to me, but I can’t understand what they are saying.”
4. You are saying “what?” all the time
Those with hearing loss often have difficulty with understanding what someone is saying when they can’t see that person’s mouth move. They also have trouble understanding when they have no context for what was said. If you find yourself saying “what?” or asking people to repeat themselves throughout the day, it is usually a sign that you have a hearing loss. As one develops a high-pitched hearing loss, lip reading and context are often used to compensate for the inability to hear the consonants.
5. You are over the age of 65
Hearing loss becomes more common as we get older. According to experts, 33% of people age 65 and over have a disabling hearing loss. Age alone does not guarantee hearing loss. But the longer you live, the more likely you will have some form of hearing loss. 80% of people will have a hearing loss by their 80th birthday.
Age-related hearing loss: Presbycusis.
Sound like you? Need a second opinion? Schedule your evaluation with Arizona Hearing Center. You never know how important your hearing is to you until it’s gone. Contact Us by phone at 602.313.1243, or by email at Scheduling@Azhear.Com.
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It was really interesting when you mentioned that speech becomes less clear when you lose the ability to hear high pitches. It seems like having your ears tested would be the only way to know if you are losing high pitch hearing. If you are worried about this, it might be a good idea to seek out an audiologist that can help you.
You got my attention when you said that people who are suffering from hearing loss experience difficulty in understanding what someone s saying. This reminded me of my father who often thinks that I am always whispering whenever I am talking to him. When I call him over the phone, the problem even gets worse. I will ask him to undergo audiologic testing.
You got my attention when you said that you should be experiencing hearing loss when you keep asking people to repeat themselves. This is something that I will consider because I have been experiencing troubles when talking with others. My children always find me annoying because I always ask them to repeat every word they said, so I will be sure to undergo a proper hearing test.
It caught my attention when you said that speech is less clear with hearing loss in the high pitches. With this in mind, I will be sure to see a professional for a hearing test before the month ends. Since I had an auto accident 4 months ago, I have been hearing rigs in my ears, and I feel like all people are just whispering. Thanks for sharing this.