Should You Get Your Hearing Checked? Here Are the Signs to Look Out For

Hearing health is something that a lot of us are aware of, but we rarely check up on it. Unlike our overall physical health, our teeth or even our eyes, many of us tend to ignore our hearing health. This isn’t because we’re neglecting it, but it’s likely because most of us don’t know the effects of hearing loss. When you start losing your sight, it’s rather obvious because you start to notice differences in what you can see versus what others see.

This is a lot different from our hearing health because it happens very gradually as we age or if we’re exposed to loud noises. As such, we typically can’t tell if we have hearing loss or not and we usually brush it under the rug. Sometimes we just don’t notice a sound or we might be focusing on something else so we don’t hear someone calling for us. It’s fairly natural for this to happen and we usually don’t do anything about it.

So what are the signs that you should get your hearing checked? What kind of things should you be looking out for if you want to take better care of your hearing?

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Others complain about the volume that you listen to things at

One of the biggest telltale signs that you could be losing your hearing is if someone else complains about the volume that you listen to things. If you’ve ever passed your headphones to someone and they reel back because it’s too loud, or if they tell you to turn down the TV or your speakers, then there’s a chance that you might be experiencing hearing loss.

You work in a loud workplace

If you work in a relatively loud workplace that requires you to wear hearing protection, then it’s worth heeding their caution and ensuring that you have ear protection. Likewise, if you work in a loud environment such as driving a train, working as a DJ or even playing live music, then you’ll want to learn more about molded earplugs that could save your ears. If you work in a loud workplace, it’s a good idea to get your ears checked now and then so that you can ensure you’re not being affected by hearing loss.

You occasionally miss calls or alarms

Missing a call or alarm now and then is fine, but if you find that it happens more often than you’d like, then it’s worth seeing a hearing specialist. If it happens too many times and has caused you problems in the past, such as missing an important call or leaving a friend waiting outside your house for a long time, then you should definitely see an expert about it.

You find yourself pointing your ear at someone when you want to hear them

If you find that you’re constantly pointing your ear at people to hear them, then it could be a sign that you’re starting to lose your hearing. However, it could just be because you’re in a loud place, but it’s a concern that you shouldn’t ignore. While it doesn’t mean that you’ll need to start wearing a hearing aid every day, it could be a good wakeup call so that you start paying a little more attention to how loud your environment is.

Having a conversation makes you feel tired

Another sign that you might have hearing loss is if you feel tired after you have a conversation, particularly if it’s in a relatively loud space such as a crowded area. Trying to listen to people when we have hearing loss can be surprisingly stressful. This is because our body needs to compensate for our hearing loss, so we tend to strain our body if we want to hear something. This means that we can feel a little fatigued after a conversation. This makes it hard for us to be in social situations and can lead to us feeling isolated from others.

You experience a ringing or buzzing in your ear

A ringing or buzzing in your ear indicates that you have tinnitus. However, it doesn’t always mean that you have hearing loss. It’s worth checking as the conditions for both hearing loss and tinnitus are similar, but it doesn’t mean that one causes the other. While they are closely related, it’s good to remember that tinnitus can usually be treated in a number of different ways. You can retrain your ears to filter out the tinnitus, or you can even use devices to mask the tinnitus.