You would know if you were losing your hearing, right? Well, not necessarily. Hearing loss often begins slowly, and it's really common for people not to realize something is up right away. Rather than waiting to get a hearing test until you feel like you can barely hear, keep an eye out for these earlier signs that something is amiss. 

You have ringing in your ears.

There are a lot of myths floating around about ringing in the ears. You may have heard it just means you are tired or that you have high blood pressure. The truth is that while there are many possible causes of ringing in your ears, this symptom is most often due to hearing loss, and it can be one of the earliest signs of hearing loss. If you experience ringing in your ears, even if it only occurs from time to time, it is a smart idea to have your hearing tested.

You feel overwhelmed in loud, busy places.

Do you feel overwhelmed and like you can't hear or understand anything when you're at a concert, in a busy store, or at any other large gathering? This could be a sign that your hearing is starting to deteriorate. When your hearing first starts to fail, it becomes harder for your brain to distinguish between all of the different sounds going on around you. This leads to that overwhelmed and hopeless feeling that makes you just want to get out of there.

Your TV volume has slowly crept up over the years.

Is your TV volume now at 15, whereas you used to keep it at 12 or 13? Maybe you've blamed this change on failing speakers, but it could be your ears that are at fault. If you've had to turn up the volume on multiple devices lately, that should be an even bigger red flag that you need hearing testing. Newer speakers don't decline in quality like this.

You ask people to repeat themselves a lot.

If you ask other people to repeat themselves a lot, it could be because you're struggling to hear, not because people are talking quietly. Sometimes you might not notice you are doing it, but the people you talk to will notice! Ask them if you've been requesting that they repeat themselves a lot.

If you notice any of the signs above, it is time for a hearing test! It is best to find out about hearing loss early on so you can take action to prevent it from worsening.

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