In 2022, the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) aimed to find the difference between how survey participants rated their own hearing and the actual hearing loss they experienced. They found that despite 91% of participants rating their hearing as good:
- 34% admitted they’ve pretended to follow along in conversations they struggled to hear
- 24% frequently asked others to repeat themselves
- 34% found it challenging to follow conversations in noisy or distracting environments
These findings may seem surprising at first, but it’s relatively common for patients to be unaware of their hearing loss. Many people adapt to gradual changes in their hearing over time, making it harder to recognize the signs. Without regular hearing checkups, the condition often goes unnoticed until it significantly affects daily life. To help ensure you receive timely hearing treatment, let’s take a look at three surprising signs of hearing loss that you might be missing.
1. You Can’t Hear Birds Sing
Sound frequency is measured in hertz (Hz). Human hearing typically ranges from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, with infants able to detect higher frequencies at the upper end of this range. However, as people age, their ability to hear higher frequencies gradually diminishes, a process known as age-related hearing loss or presbycusis.
When you start to lose high-frequency hearing, one of the most noticeable symptoms is the inability to hear birds sing. If you used to love listening to the chirping birds in Juanita Bay Park but recently haven’t been able to pick up their sweet tunes, it could be a sign of hearing loss.
2. Phone Calls Sound Unclear
Difficulty understanding phone calls is another subtle sign that you have hearing loss. When you speak to somebody in person, you don’t just use their speech to understand them. You also rely on facial cues, body language and other physical context clues. Even with hearing loss, you may be able to understand your conversation partner by piecing together speech and physical clues. Over the phone, you aren’t able to do this, and your hearing loss may become more apparent.
3. You Have Frequent Misunderstandings in Your Relationship
You’ve probably heard before that communication is the foundation of a healthy relationship. When hearing loss causes communication to falter, you may notice that you and your partner have more misunderstandings or fights than you used to. If you’re struggling to hear your partner, it’s time for a hearing test.
If you’ve noticed one or more of these subtle signs of hearing loss, contact Evergreen Speech and Hearing Clinic today to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists for a hearing test.