The First Signs of Age-Related Hearing Loss

Age-related hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss by far. While most people associate it with senior citizens, it can begin to strike far earlier. The sooner you identify the signs with help from an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor, the sooner you can manage the situation and reduce its impact on your daily life over the years to come.

If you are a senior citizen, an annual ENT doctor appointment is advised even if you believe that your hearing is in good health. For everyone else, one to two appointments per decade should suffice. However, if you notice any of the following first signs of age-related hearing age, you should book an appointment regardless of your age.

High-Pitched Voices Are Easier to Understand

Age-related hearing loss often surfaces as being unable to hear high-pitched sounds first. So, you may notice that conversations with men are typically easier to follow than dialogues with women and children. This can be an early sign of presbycusis, which could eventually lead to difficulties when speaking to men as the level of hearing loss progresses.

Signs that you are not hearing high-pitched voices as well as you should include not hearing the kids when they call you from another room or regularly asking women to repeat themselves. In addition to high-pitched speech, you may struggle to hear alarms or sirens. An ear, nose and throat doctor can investigate whether age-related hearing loss has started.

Certain Sounds Become Hard to Distinguish

When experiencing the early signs of presbycusis, you may not necessarily struggle to hear people speaking. However, you may find it far more difficult to separate certain sounds from one another. Most commonly, people in the early stages of age-related hearing loss will struggle to distinguish the th sound and the s sound. But others could be problematic too.

If you find yourself lip reading in conversations or find it particularly difficult to distinguish those sounds when you are not directly facing the person you’re speaking to, this could be a clear indicator that presbycusis has started. Therefore, it’s important to pay attention to how you follow telephone conversations and interactions where there are no visual prompts.

You Experience Tinnitus

As the loss of hair cells in the inner ear begins to reduce your auditory sensory receptors, the brain may attempt to fill in the blanks caused by the sounds you no longer hear. In turn, this could lead to the onset of tinnitus symptoms, which is most commonly characterized by hearing noises despite a lack of external source. It may occur intermittently or continuously.

Sounds could include buzzing, whirling, screeching and ticking. Whether it occurs in one ear or both ears, tinnitus can bring significant disruption and discomfort. Crucially, though, it is usually a signal of an underlying issue. Age-related hearing loss is the most likely solution. Either way, visiting an ENT doctor is the best way to get a hearing loss diagnosis and clear answers.

Some Conversations Sound Slurred

Even when speech can be heard and individual sounds are distinct, people who experience the early signs of age-related hearing loss may feel that people are slurring or mumbling their words. It may even extend to the acoustic sounds of their own speech, particularly when you are in a crowded space or an area with lots of background noise.

In some cases, some sounds may seem too loud or overwhelming. It can be a sign that there is an issue with the inner ear, middle ear or sound pathways between the ear and the brain. While struggling to follow one conversation is unlikely to be a sign that something is wrong, repeated episodes suggest that it is time to speak to an ENT doctor.

Other signs of hearing loss

In addition to staying vigilant to the early signs of age-related hearing loss, you must not ignore other examples of clear hearing loss. If you have found yourself turning up the TV and radio, missing telephone calls, withdrawing from social events and struggling to follow group conversations, calling an ENT doctor is essential.

If hearing loss is detected, the ENT doctor can help you take the necessary steps to reduce its impact on your life. Alternatively, the examinations can confirm that you have healthy hearing, which will also deliver the peace of mind that you deserve. Either way, ignoring the signs of potential age-related hearing loss is simply not an option. Call Omaha ENT Specialists at (402) 983-9948 to book your appointment today.