Signs You Might Be Losing Your Hearing

Worried your hearing might going? You’re not alone! Hearing loss impacts almost one-third (30.9%) of Americans over the age of 65 and around 60.7 million Americans as young as 12 years old.^1,2

On top of that, there has been a dramatic rise in the global rates of hearing loss over the past few years, with the World Health Organization estimating the number of people with hearing loss to double by 2050.³

Much of that growth is among younger people. According to a recent national study, about 12% of children between ages 6 and 9 have permanent hearing damage from exposure to excessive noise, often related to listening to music at high volumes with earbuds.^4,5

Why it’s important to address hearing loss

When it comes to our bodies, an absence of sensation is often more difficult to notice than a new ache or pain. That’s why losing hearing in one ear may be easier to notice than gradual loss on both sides. Add social stigma around hearing loss, and it’s no surprise that it often goes undiagnosed and unaddressed.

According to one estimate, as much as 80% of hearing loss goes undiagnosed.⁶ This may not seem like a big deal. After all, many people who were born deaf or have adapted to limited hearing over the course of their lifetimes don’t see it as a problem. However, when hearing individuals start to lose that sense and don’t make necessary adjustments, it can contribute to serious issues.

Untreated/undiagnosed hearing loss can have considerable negative impacts on quality of life.

Linked to an increased risk of depression, especially in older adults⁷
Linked to increased social isolation
Linked to reduced income/job opportunities⁸
Linked to an increased risk of falling or other accidents⁹
Linked to increased risk for dementia¹⁰

What causes hearing loss?

You may think of hearing loss as one of those things that just happens as you age — like back pain or getting really into WWII documentaries. However, there are certain risk factors that may contribute to hearing loss, as well as precautions you can take to protect your ears as you age.

Risk factors for hearing loss

Aging — The parts of your ears responsible for detecting sounds break down with time.
Genetics — Some types of hearing loss can be inherited through your DNA.
Noisy work environments — If you spend your entire workday around loud equipment, you’re at a higher risk of noise-induced hearing loss, though wearing ear protection can help mitigate that risk. Headphones playing music do not count as ear protection — in fact, they can make it worse!
Loud hobbies — Spending your free time in noisy environments like concerts or around explosive sounds like guns can be dangerous for your hearing. Again, wearing proper ear protection can reduce the risk of these activities.
Certain medications — Some medications, including some antibiotics, some chemotherapy drugs, and even some over-the-counter painkillers can increase the chances of someone losing their hearing.11 Consult a physician or look for warning labels about “ototoxicity,” which is the term for this kind of damage if you’re concerned about any medications you may be taking.
Certain illnesses — Meningitis and other diseases that cause high fever can damage your hearing.

Types of hearing loss

There are three distinct types of hearing loss:

Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when a part of the inner ear or the actual hearing nerve itself gets damaged. This is the most common type of hearing loss and can be caused by any of the factors listed above. While this often happens over a long period of time, loud noises can sometimes cause sudden hearing loss, which should be treated quickly.

Conductive hearing loss occurs when an obstruction of some kind prevents sound from passing through the outer or middle ear. This could be related to a buildup of earwax or some other object blocking the ear canal. However, infections, abnormal bone growths, or even damage to the eardrum or ossicles (the three bones attached to the eardrum) can also be the source.

Mixed hearing loss is a combination of sensorineural and conductive hearing loss impacting the middle or outer ear as well as the inner ear.

Signs of hearing loss in children

Young children are especially unlikely to be able to recognize when their hearing is going or know how to effectively communicate their situation.

It’s common to mistake the signs that a child may be experiencing hearing loss for other issues, which is why it’s important for parents, teachers, and other guardians to be alert for a combination of these potential signs:

Poor enunciation
Not following instructions
Confusion or lack of attention in conversation with others
Setting volume on TVs and other devices very high
Trouble in school

Many schools administer a free hearing screening to all students at regular intervals, usually every other year beginning in kindergarten or first grade. However, if there is ever a concern about a child’s hearing, or if a child fails a screening at school, the next step is to get a full hearing loss test from an Audiologist.

Signs of hearing loss in adults

Even for grown-ups, it can sometimes be difficult to recognize. It can be tempting to write off potential warning signs or chalk it up to something else.

Do you:

Have difficulty understanding conversations in noisy environments
Have difficulty hearing consonants
Frequently ask people to speak slower
Frequently ask people to speak louder
Frequently ask people to speak more clearly
Hear better in one ear
Feel exhausted after social gatherings, possibly due to listening fatigue
Look at people’s mouths when they speak instead of their eyes
Hear a persistent ringing or buzzing in the ears
Frequently turn up the volume when watching TV or listening to music
Have difficulty understanding people on the phone
Experience dizziness or loss of balance
Feel pressure within the ear canal
Speak too loudly

If you or someone you know checked off a majority of these boxes, it’s time to speak with a doctor about getting your hearing checked. You can ask your primary care physician to or work with your insurance provider to find a hearing specialist or audiologist for further diagnosis and to develop a treatment plan.

A person with undiagnosed hearing loss may also come across as clumsy or nonsocial. An outside observer may even mistake hearing loss symptoms for age-related cognitive decline.

Below is a list of common signs to watch out for. Read through the list and check those that apply to help you determine whether you or a loved one might be experiencing hearing loss.

Test your hearing at home

Looking for further proof before you set up an appointment with an audiologist? There are plenty of online options for a quick, self-administered hearing check. These are not meant to replace professional hearing screenings, but they can be useful to gauge your current hearing loss.

Here are a couple of good options to check out:

AARP’s National Hearing Test — A free phone-based hearing test available to all AARP members. This member benefit can be used once a year.
Audicus Online Hearing Test — This free online test takes about 20 minutes and requires headphones.
CheckHearing.org — A 3-step test that doesn’t require any membership and provides results in the form of an audiogram similar to those produced by professional screenings.
Hear.com — While primarily focused on providing hearing aids, Hear.com also offers a convenient online hearing test that provides a simple score on a scale of 1-10.
There are also a number of smartphone apps designed to help you test your hearing.
Mimi Hearing Technologies — This app allows you to test and track your hearing over time, and can even link with certain headphones to personalize your device’s audio output.
MindEar — With a specific focus on tinnitus relief, MindEar also offers a convenient hearing test for your smartphone.

Degrees of hearing loss

Losing your hearing isn’t an all-or-nothing situation. In some circumstances it is possible that it goes all at once, but much more common is a gradual loss of hearing in one or both ears. Most experts organize hearing loss into four commonly used categories based on severity.

Mild

The hearing threshold for mild hearing loss is between 26 and 40 dB in the sound frequencies related to human speech. It may feel like trying to listen through earmuffs. Many people with mild hearing loss are able to manage without treatment, though some may opt for hearing aids, especially in noisy environments.

Sounds that are difficult to hear with mild hearing loss might include:

Soft voices or children
Vowel sounds
Low-volume notifications or alerts, like car turn signals
Chirping birds
A person walking behind you

Moderate

Moderate hearing loss means you can’t hear 41-70 dB sounds in the speech frequency range. Conversations involve a lot of asking people to repeat themselves. At this level of hearing loss, most people are more comfortable with hearing aids.

Sounds that are difficult to hear with moderate hearing loss include:

Most normal conversational speech
Voices on the phone
Consonant and vowel sounds
Light traffic

Severe

A person with severe hearing loss cannot hear sounds lower than 71-90 dB. At this level of hearing loss, amplification or hearing aids are necessary for comprehension.

Sounds that are difficult to hear with severe hearing loss include:

All normal speech
Some loud noises
Alarm clocks
Loud traffic

Profound

When you can’t hear sounds below 90 dB, you’re suffering from profound hearing loss. At this level, even loud noises aren’t audible without hearing aids or a cochlear implant. Without assistive technology, someone with profound hearing loss relies on reading lips or communicating via sign language.

Sounds that are difficult to hear with profound hearing loss include:

Fire alarms
Power tools
Food processors
Lawn mowers

What to do next

Just like any health-related issue, don’t simply rely on what you read online. If you’re worried that you or a loved one are experiencing hearing loss, it may be time to set an appointment with an audiologist.

They will run some hearing loss tests which will produce a unique audiogram, which is a visual representation of your hearing loss. This will show not only the degree of hearing loss in both ears but give you a clear depiction of which frequencies you’re having the most trouble hearing.

Your audiologist specialist will work with you to develop a treatment plan based on your unique hearing loss profile.