Don't Ignore Your Hearing Loss

Woman stubbornly refusing to have her hearing checked even though her daughter is insisting she has hearing loss.

Have you ever attempted to disregard a toothache? It can be pretty hard. After a while, you end up having no choice but to consult a dentist. And when your eyesight begins to lose focus it’s the same. You’ll most likely call an ophthalmologist when you begin to have difficulty reading street signs. The concern is, you might not show quite so much urgency when your hearing starts to go.

This would more than likely be a mistake. Neglected hearing loss can be the reason for considerable health issues (specifically mental problems). Unfortunately, it’s pretty difficult to address your diminishing hearing if you don’t know about it. And there’s the second problem.

Signs You Could Have Hearing Loss

We normally take our hearing for granted. A loud concert? No big deal.. Blaring ear pods? That’s just how you prefer your podcasts. But your overall hearing will be significantly impacted by all of these decisions, particularly over time.

Unfortunately, those impacts might be difficult to detect. The symptoms of hearing loss can be nearly invisible because they creep up so slowly over time. So you should take some time to learn some basic red flags (and to take care of them sooner than later):

You consistently blow the speakers in your earpods because you need the volume up too loud
When you listen to everyday speech, you have an especially difficult time hearing consonants
You usually need to turn up the volume on your devices
You experience unexpected issues with short term memory
When you’re in a crowded noisy environment you have a hard time following conversations
You feel an unexplained sense of fatigue or have significant difficulty falling asleep at night
Distorted or muffled sounding speech from people around you (family, co-workers, friends)
You find yourself asking individuals around you to repeat what they said frequently

It’s pretty well recognized what these red flags and symptoms mean. At first, you will be somewhat unaware of your symptoms, particularly if they come on gradually, because your brain will immediately start to compensate. That’s the reason why all of these warning signs should be taken seriously, which means you need to schedule an appointment to see your hearing professional.

If You Ignore Your Hearing Loss, What’s Going Happen?

Indeed, some individuals are very stubborn. Or they just don’t favor the idea of wearing a hearing aid. They maintain this fear that wearing a hearing aid is some kind of immediate sign for old age (as though continuously asking people to speak up is a signifier of everlasting youth). But in actuality, most contemporary hearing aids are practically undetectable (and it doesn’t hurt when you can hear and take part in conversations).

Still, if you neglect hearing loss it may lead to numerous problems:

Your hearing may worsen: Without a hearing aid or increased ear protection, you’ll keep cranking the volume on your television up. Or you’ll keep going to rock concerts without any earplugs. Which means you’ll continue doing harm to your ears and your hearing will almost definitely continue to decline because of it.
Your relationships could fray: When you have a hard time understanding what your family and friends are saying, something can change in the relationship: you begin having fewer interactions with them. You quit saying hi, you stop checking in, you distance yourself. Some of those relationships will be ruined, particularly if the problem is hearing loss that you have kept secret (and not some unspoken animosity).
Depression and cognitive decline could result: You might begin to discover symptoms of depression as your relationships fizzle and going out becomes more challenging. You may also start to experience some mental decline if your brain doesn’t get the auditory activation that it’s used to, certain changes start to take place within your neural physiology. If your hearing loss isn’t treated, it can bring about longterm cognitive worries.