- Symptoms of hearing loss
- The 4 main symptoms of hearing loss
- Degree of hearing loss
- Contact us for more information
Are you experiencing issues or doubts about your hearing?
Don't let it linger. Contact one of our stores near you. Our hearing specialists are ready to help.
Symptoms of hearing loss
As you get older, your hearing gradually declines. You don't always realize that you're hearing less well. In other words, hearing loss develops gradually. Afterwards, when you ask people with hearing loss about it, there were plenty of signals indicating that their hearing wasn't working as well.
The most common symptoms are:
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Speaking louder yourself
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Not hearing high voices and tones well, in particular
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Feeling that you don't hear as well as you used to
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Feeling uncomfortable in a noisy environment
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Not hearing the phone or doorbell
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Constantly needing to turn up the volume of the TV, radio, or music
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Constantly asking people to repeat things
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Finding that other people are difficult to understand
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Complaining about buzzing, ringing, or humming in the ears
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Getting tired quickly in large groups
It's difficult to recognize hearing loss in yourself because your brain automatically adjusts and compensates for the loss. You no longer hear loud sounds the way you used to. The symptoms above aren't immediately familiar to everyone. After a while, your brain 'forgets' how to hear, without you even realizing it. That's why it's often the people around you who have to point out that you're not hearing as well. This can lead to irritation and a feeling of insecurity. Here you can read more about the four most important symptoms of hearing loss.
The 4 main symptoms of hearing loss
Tinnitus
Hearing damage occurs due to prolonged exposure to loud noises. If you suffer from ringing in your ears or tinnitus, that's an initial symptom. A ringing in your ear after a night out indicates that you've heard too much noise. Usually, this subsides, but in the long run, it can lead to permanent damage – a constantly audible ringing in the ears, called tinnitus – which is irreversible.
Different pitches
A normal, healthy ear can hear frequencies from 20 to 20,000 Hertz (Hz). The higher the pitch, the higher the frequency. With hearing damage, someone can have a different degree of hearing loss at each frequency and experience sounds differently. Some sounds are too loud or too soft, while you can hear other sounds very well. It could be that you don't hear high tones well and low tones you do, or vice versa.
Localizing sound
When your ears are exposed to too much and prolonged noise, the hair cells in the cochlea (the inner ear) get damaged. These hairs are minuscule and are set in motion by sound waves. The hair cells then send a signal via the auditory nerve to the brain, where it is perceived as sound. When overloaded by too loud or prolonged sound, the hair cells can break. This can happen to different extents in both ears, causing the reception of sound in stereo to cease. This makes it more difficult to determine where sound is coming from.
Turning up the radio or television
If you constantly start talking louder and turning up the volume of the radio or television, this can be a sign of hearing damage. The hair cells in your ear need more stimulation to transmit a signal, and the ear adjusts to the loud sound level by becoming less sensitive. A healthy ear automatically adjusts back to a higher sensitivity after a while, but if the hearing is damaged, the ear no longer recovers. As a result, you start talking louder and constantly turn up the sound of the radio and television.
Degree of hearing loss
There are five different levels of hearing loss, ranging from:
- Normal
- Mild
- Moderate
- Severe
- Profound
Your audiologist measures the intensity of a sound and the degree of hearing loss in decibels (dB). Make an appointment or come by for a free comprehensive hearing test at your Oogwereld Hearing Care audiologist. After this hearing test, you'll receive a detailed explanation of the results and, if necessary, an offer to experience the latest hearing aids, tailored to your wishes and hearing loss, completely free of charge and without obligation. Without any commitment.
You can also get an indication of your ear's health now, via our online hearing test.
Contact us for more information
At Oogwereld Hearing Care, we are ready to support you in understanding and learning to cope with hearing loss. Contact us today for more information, expert advice, and personal support. Together, we can work towards finding effective solutions and improving your overall well-being.