Am I losing my hearing?
It can be difficult to determine whether you are suffering from hearing loss or hearing problems, particularly as hearing deterioration can often be a very gradual process.
One common indicator of the onset of hearing loss is having difficulty hearing conversations when there is background noise, such as in social situations (e.g. restaurants/bars/clubs/shopping centres). Other common signs of the onset of hearing loss include:
- Having trouble hearing someone speaking who is not face to face with you;
- Difficulty hearing people speak when traveling in the car together;
- Needing to turn the television volume up louder than is comfortable for those around you;
- Regularly needing to ask people to repeat themselves;
- Having trouble hearing on the telephone;
- Family or friends notice that you seem to be talking much louder than you used to;
- Having to strain to watch someone carefully when they speak to you;
- Getting strange looks from people when you reply to what you thought was said (in other words, you give incorrect or inappropriate answers to questions);
- Not hearing the sound of the doorbell or the telephone ringing;
- Being withdrawn and moody; it may seem easier for you to avoid social contact rather than risk struggling to cope with hearing in a group conversation.
If you, or someone you know, exhibit any of these signs, then you should talk to the team at Northside Audiology to assess your hearing and potentially improve your quality of life.
