One of the things that a lot of people realize about hearing loss is that it’s not something that happens all at once. Rather, it can often be something that sneaks up on people over an extended period of time.

This means that, for a lot of people, it’s not always easy to realize that it’s a good idea for them to seek professional help for their hearing. However, there are some things that can act as clear signs that that’s exactly what you need to do. With that in mind, here are four signs you should see a hearing health professional.

A ringing in your ears

Pretty much everyone has experienced a ringing in their ears after something like a concert or a night out. This is called tinnitus and for the vast majority of people, it can be entirely temporary. However, if you are finding that this ringing in your ears is persistent and continuous, that could be a sign of more significant hearing loss.

This is especially true if there are no environmental factors that could be causing the tinnitus in the first place. If you are experiencing any kind of ringing or humming noise for seemingly no reason, scheduling an appointment with a hearing health professional is always a good idea.

Pain

One of the most obvious symptoms that could be connected to hearing loss is the presence of pain in your ear. There are a lot of different causes of ear pain, from infection to impacted earwax, both of which can also result in a loss of hearing. Despite it being so obvious and apparent, a lot of people try to deal with pain themselves rather than seeking professional help, which can often be a mistake. Doing things like trying to swab out earwax yourself can just push it deeper into your ear canal and make things worse. It’s far better to leave it in the hands of a qualified professional.

Difficulty understanding people

We’ve all been in the situation where you’ve misheard someone or you haven’t quite caught what they’ve said and you’ve had to ask them to repeat themselves. Sometimes you will have to do this multiple times and it can be a little embarrassing. However, if this is something that you’re having to do on a pretty consistent basis then that could be a sign of hearing loss and something that is absolutely worth bringing up with a hearing health professional.

Straining to hear the TV and radio

A lot of the time, hearing loss can be so gradual that you don’t even really pick up on it but one of the most obvious signs is that you are slowly increasing the volume of your TV. If someone comes to your house and comments that you have your TV incredibly loud even though it doesn’t feel like it, that may be a sign that your hearing is impaired and that you need to make an appointment to speak to a professional.