Sneaky Ear Symptoms: How to Know if You Have Hearing Loss
Issues like hearing loss can often creep up on you over a period of time and you might even refuse to believe that you have a problem in the beginning.
Your ears can be subjected to consistently excessive noise in an industrial workplace environment, which is why you have to take precautions to protect your hearing and spot the early warning symptoms.
Here is a look at some ways to spot that you might have a problem. There is an overview of the tell-tale signs of hearing loss, plus a description of the various stages of this common issues that affect so many of us to varying degrees.
Say that again
If you observe health and safety requirements at work and wear ear defenders supplied by someone like RS Components, that is obviously going to make a big difference towards preserving your level of hearing.
However, it is important to have your hearing checked on a regular basis, especially if you work in a noisy environment, and particularly relevant if you are displaying some classic symptoms associated with hearing loss problems.
The point to remember is that it is not always one specific symptom that you could be displaying but a combination of scenarios that are all pointing towards an issue with your hearing.
If you consistently find yourself asking people to repeat what they have said, experience issues with hearing when you are amongst a group of people and seem to be always turning the volume up on the TV or radio, these are all classic signs that all is not well with your hearing.
It is not unusual for people to blame their hearing problems on other factors such as the other person mumbling or not talking loud enough, but if this is a regular occurrence, there will surely come a point where you realize this is too much of a coincidence.
You are not alone
If your hearing is not as sharp as you would like it to be, you should be aware that you are definitely not alone in this experience and about one in six of adults tends to display some degree of hearing loss.
Hearing loss can be a gradual decline over a prolonged period of time or it can be sudden when your hearing is damaged by a specific event or infection.
There are two specific forms of hearing loss, the first being conductive, which is when sounds don’t find their way to your ear properly. The other main cause is sensorineural, which is when your hearing is damaged, although you can experience a combination of the two with your hearing loss.
Evaluating the extent of your hearing loss
Hearing loss is generally classified as either mild, moderate, severe or profound.
These stages accurately describe the various stages that many people with hearing loss pass through, especially in the early stages of the problem when they are either not aware of a problem or are in denial.
Higher pitched sounds are normally the first area of hearing to suffer. These can mean that women and children’s voices might be harder to decipher and you could end up getting the S and F sound in speech confused.
If any of these symptoms seem familiar or you want to address a hearing loss problem before it gets progressively worse, take precautions with your hearing at work and have a hearing test on a regular basis.
Zara Lambert has learned a lot since working as an analyst for a workers compensation company. She shares some of her knowledge and tips online.