5 Signs You Need a Hearing Check Right Now
Author: Liam Hickson, Victorian Hearing Audiologist
In my 15 years of experience as an audiologist, there are many common reasons why people decide to book their first hearing test.
As hearing changes slowly over time with age, hearing loss can occur so gradually that it’s imperceptible to the person experiencing it. Family members often notice the change first, while the person with hearing loss takes longer to realise it because they’ve gradually adapted as their hearing declines. They begin to rely more on lip reading, asking for repeats, and making educated guesses to fill in when they miss a letter here or a word there. It’s like not noticing you’ve been straining your eyes to read a book in the dark until well after the sun has gone down and the natural daylight has faded.
While there is no harm in lipreading and occasionally asking for a repeat as part of normal hearing and communication, over-reliance on these coping mechanisms can lead to mental fatigue, annoyance, and avoidance. For example: as my grandfather’s hearing loss worsened, he would monologue well-rehearsed stories (to my family’s dismay) because it meant that he didn’t have to listen to, or answer, questions!
If you are unsure about whether you should get a hearing check right now, here are five common examples of what brings people to see me for a diagnostic hearing assessment or hearing screening:
1. “Low talkers”
A common sign that you might need your hearing tested is if you have trouble hearing ‘low talkers’. Do people speak so softly that it sounds like they are mumbling, or do they often walk away while they are talking to you, forcing you to tell them to ‘speak up’ or ‘come closer’? The reality is that they may be talking perfectly normally, and the issue is that you may be over-relying on watching their mouth move to understand the sounds in their voice that have gone missing. A common phrase I’ve heard is, “My hearing is fine- it’s just that everybody mumbles nowadays!” This is often a way to explain away hearing loss without actually addressing it.
2. Increasing TV volume and losing clarity
Have you ever been watching TV or listening to music alone at home and a loved one complains about how loud the volume is when they walk through the door? Maybe you tend to rewind to hear a joke you missed, or pause a TV show to ask someone else about what’s going on? This could be a sign that you are compensating for hearing loss. Difficulties with accents and background music in programs are also a sign of hearing decline, as is persistent use of subtitles or captions to understand the entire message.
3. Feeling tired after socialising and social isolation
If you start to notice mental fatigue, tiredness, or losing interest in the conversation when out at noisy places, this can be a sign of hearing changes. If you think back, was this ever an issue for you? Healthy hearing is often effortless. Hearing loss makes us rely on our other senses to compensate for what we can no-longer hear. Your brain works overtime to catch up- storing incomplete information in your short-term memory to allow you to fill in the gaps. In short: you play ‘catch up’. This places more cognitive strain on your brain, requiring increased levels focus and more attention than the people around you. You might feel embarrassed or less confident if you make a mistake, ask for a repeat, or say the wrong thing. This can lead to reduced enjoyment of social situations, ultimately causing social isolation and feelings of loneliness.
4. Comments from family members
If you have ever received one of these types of comments for a loved one, it might be time to get tested by an audiologist:
a. “I already told you that”
b. “You never listen”
c. “Get your hearing checked”
5. Turning 50
Did you know that healthy hearing has a direct effect on your overall health and wellbeing? Hearing loss is associated with obesity, balance, high blood pressure, diabetes, cognitive decline and depression. If you haven’t needed to have your hearing tested before, we recommend that you should start getting your hearing checked once you turn 50. Accepting hearing loss as part of the aging process, getting it checked regularly, and treating it as soon as possible is a great way to support a healthy mind and body as you mature. It’s normal to require more types of regular health checks as you grow older, and hearing should not be ignored- it’s more important than you think!