Have you heard the joke about the spouse who has selective hearing? It’s easy to downplay symptoms of hearing loss as the mainstay of so many marriage jokes, selective hearing. For many people hearing loss is a gradual experience – it’s sometimes easier to explain away our symptoms due to age, environment, or other’s behavior. Perhaps you should consider scheduling a hearing test.

Still not sure you’re experiencing hearing loss? Holding out hope that you have selective hearing? If you notice any of the ten signs below schedule your hearing test today.

Sign #1 = Problems Understanding People

Human speech is comprised of many sounds in the higher frequencies. Since high-frequency hearing loss is most common someone with hearing loss will have problems understanding or distinguishing between certain sounds – like s and f. This can be frustrating because you may still hear a person’s voice but it sounds as if their words are mumbled.

Sign #2 = Asking People to Repeat

Are you asking people to repeat themselves more than in the past? It may be because you’re having problems understanding what people are saying. When you have hearing loss it is more difficult to understand what people say if they aren’t looking at you.

Sign #3 = Problems Hearing in Crowded or Public Spaces

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Public or crowded places are challenging listening environments because background sounds can drown out the voice of the person you’re trying to listen. Restaurants, meetings, church, and events with large crowds are all places that cause problems for people with hearing loss.

Sign #4 = Ringing in Ears

Ringing in ears is known as Tinnitus. And it may cause hearing loss. If you’ve ever been exposed to loud noises you may have experienced some temporary tinnitus. If suddenly ringing is constant or changes you should get your hearing tested. Other medical conditions can cause Tinnitus so it’s important to work with qualified hearing professionals to diagnose the root cause.

Sign #5 = Trouble Understanding Women and Kids Voices

If someone has high-frequency hearing loss they will have difficulty understanding women and kids. Women and children have higher tones of voices. The words of grandkids, daughters, and wives may be more challenging to understand. You might notice that understanding them is even worse when talking to them on the telephone.

Sign #6 = Following Conversations is Exhausting

When you have hearing loss your brain works double-time to understand what people are saying to you. The high frequency sounds you have problems understanding become blank space that your brain has to fill in. Without consciously realizing your brain starts reading lips to understand what people are saying. All that extra focus can make conversation more exhausting.

Sign #7 = Trouble Hearing on the Telephone

When you are talking on the phone and can’t see the person you can’t read their lips. It gets so bad for some people that they avoid talking on the phone altogether. Another problem area with the phone are voice messages. A person with hearing loss may have to listen to a message two, four, or even five times trying to decipher the message left.

Sign #8 = T.V. Volume

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Do you listen to your T.V. louder than other people like? They may ask you to turn it down because they aren’t having the same problems that you have understanding all the sounds. Conversation is tricky to understand on T.V. or while watching movies because people don’t always talk directly to the camera. People with hearing loss often use Closed Captions on their T.V. because captions can help them understand the words they miss.

Sign #9 = Everyday Sounds

Have you noticed that common sounds are less loud than they used to be? Are birds quieter or the coffee maker less loud while brewing? Those sounds aren’t just background noise; those sounds are important for your brain health. Passive listening to those sounds helps keep our brain healthy by constantly engaging our brain. When those sounds quiet are brain can get bored. When left untreated hearing loss may increase someone’s chance of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Sign #10 = Someone Mentions your Hearing Loss Symptoms

If a family friend or loved one starts a conversation with you about your hearing loss it’s because they care. They’ve noticed that you have some problem hearing in a certain environment. Your family and loved ones don’t want you to miss parts of conversations, to stop going out to restaurants, or stop talking on the phone. They’ve brought it up so they can help you. Who knows, they may even agree to come to your hearing test. It doesn’t hurt to ask!