Hearing Center: 5 Early Signs of Auditory Impairment

You might be taken aback if someone suggested you visit a hearing center. Perhaps you would think they were being sarcastic, even. But many people don't even realize they are facing auditory impairment until the symptoms become very bad. Much like the child who doesn't realize he needs glasses because he assumes that everyone sees the way he does, people with gradual and subtle auditory loss are often the last to know. Here are 5 early signs that you may benefit from getting your ears checked. An Overwhelmed Feeling Do you find yourself unable to sleep at night because you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, and you aren't sure why? This is one of the primary indications of stress, which can be harmful to your health in and of itself. It grows in those with auditory impairments, because keeping up with conversations is difficult when you can't hear what is happening. Any good hearing center sees multiple people every day who are stressed out due to their affliction. Miscommunications One of the first telltale signs of auditory impairment is a difficulty following everyday conversation. If you find yourself saying "what?" a lot, even when the volume of the words being spoken seemed loud enough to hear, it could mean you have some problems with your ability to hear. Speech recognition problems are a very common issue. Turning Up The Volume If others start complaining about how loud you're keeping the television, but the volume seems perfectly normal to you, you might start thinking about a trip to the hearing center. If you're the type of person who just likes your entertainment loud, that's one thing (although you should be conscious about what this can do to your ears). But if you are constantly turning up the volume because you legitimately can't hear it, that's an indication of a problem. You Dread the Telephone Now, there are people with perfect hearing that don't care for talking on the telephone. But if you used to not mind phone conversations but now dread them because you can never follow what the other person is saying, it could very well be a symptom of auditory impairment. Ringing Sound If you're constantly noticing a ringing sound in your ears, it could be tinnitus, a condition often brought about due to exposure to loud noises. This is a common precursor to auditory loss and it can even make hearing everything clearly a problem in and of itself. If you notice that you can never perceive true silence, you may want to visit a doctor.