If you start to experience some degree of hearing loss, you may be wondering if you should get hearing aids. Here, we tell you what signs of hearing loss you need to look out for and how to know if it’s time for you to get hearing aids.
Signs of Hearing Loss
You may start to notice changes in your behavior and early warning signs that could be related to loss of hearing. You may begin to:
– Ask people to repeat what they said frequently, especially when it is noisy
– Complain that those around you are speaking too softly or are mumbling
– Prefer the radio and television louder than other people
– Not understand some of the dialogue when you go to the movies
– Have trouble hearing people on the telephone
– Find it challenging to understand speeches given in public gatherings and houses of worship
– Have difficulty understand what people are saying unless you see their faces
– Find yourself more irritable, impatient, withdrawn, and frustrated
– Notice that you are struggling to hear conversations especially when you are in a group setting.
Why You Can Hear but Not Understand What People Are Saying
One type of hearing loss is when you have near-normal or normal hearing for low- and mid-pitched sounds, but have hearing loss for high-pitched sounds. Vowels, being low-pitched, are typically easier to hear, but consonants, being high-pitched’ are harder and softer to hear. Since consonants are what is most critical for speech comprehension and clarity, you may not be able to hear clearly when people talk. This problem becomes more noticeable if there is more distance between the talker and you.
What Can You Expect from Hearing Aids?
Unlike eyeglasses, your hearing aids won’t correct your hearing. However, they will help by amplifying certain sounds, which could include environment sounds and speech.
Do You Need to Use One or Two Hearing Aids?
If hearing loss is present in both ears, you can benefit more from using two hearing aids (one in each ear). There are, however, always exceptions to this rule, and your audiologist will be able to recommend if you need to use one or two hearing aids. So, if you are finding it harder to hear sounds, we recommend you make a visit to your ENT or audiologist.