Early Signs of Hearing Loss: Are You Missing More Than Just the Punchline?

Hearing loss isn’t always obvious at first. It sneaks up gradually, making it easy to ignore. Here are some of the most common red flags:

1. 1. You struggle to hear in noisy environments.
   • Restaurants, crowded gatherings, or family get-togethers start feeling like chaotic noise instead of conversation.
2. 2. You keep turning up the TV.
   • If others complain that your volume settings could double as a concert speaker system, it’s a sign something’s off.
3. 3. Conversations feel exhausting.
   • If chatting with people leaves you mentally drained, it might be because you’re working overtime to fill in the gaps.
4. 4. You have trouble hearing high-pitched sounds.
   • Birds chirping, children’s voices, and even certain speech sounds (like “s” and “th”) start fading.
5. 5. You often think people are mumbling.
   • If everyone around you suddenly seems to have poor diction, chances are, your ears are the issue.