Hearing loss is often a gradual process so people are often unaware of changes in their hearing until they are highlighted by some external factor. Below are some of the warning signs of early hearing loss.
The TV Volume Creeps Up
If you find yourself consistently turning up the volume on TV and films above what others in the room are happy to listen to, this could be a sign of early hearing loss.
Consonants Start to Blur
High frequency sounds (such as consonants s, f, th and sh) tend to be the first to fade from hearing, so for example you may start to miss words such as ‘fish’ and hear them instead as ‘fist’ or you may start to miss words such as ‘three’ and hear them instead as ‘free’.
Phone Calls Feel Harder Than Face-to-Face For Audiologist Bristol, see https://www.imperialhearing.com/audiologist-near-me/bristol.
One other thing to note is that on the phone you lose the visual cues of the other person’s lip movement and expression and that the brain uses these visual cues to fill in the odd word here and there that you haven’t quite heard. Therefore, hearing loss sufferers may find that hearing on the phone is much harder than having a face-to-face conversation and that they have to concentrate so much more in order to understand what the other person is saying. As the NHS explains, because the hearing loss has developed so gradually, people have often adapted to their loss without even realising it and therefore may not even realise that they are experiencing any problems at all.
Background Noise Has Become a Problem
Whether it is a busy restaurant, a noisy office or a rowdy family gathering, hearing speech above background noise can become a real challenge for someone with early changes in their hearing.
You’re Asking People to Repeat Themselves
Occasional repetition of what someone has said is usually no cause for concern but frequent repetition is.
If you recognise a number of these changes, a search for an audiologist in Bristol could lead you to a clinic where you can book a hearing assessment. This would confirm whether you have experienced any clinically significant change to your hearing or if you are experiencing changes that can be monitored over time.