What are the signs and symptoms of hearing loss?



Hearing loss often takes place gradually. Your family members and colleagues may notice you’re having trouble hearing before you do.

Signs of hearing loss

  • Does it sound like everyone around you is mumbling, and do you ask them to repeat themselves more than you used to?  
  • Is it getting difficult to understand a one-on-one conversation in noisy locations like a restaurant?
  • Are you unable to hear when someone is speaking to you from another room?

These are some of the most common signs of hearing loss. 

Signs of hearing loss

Do you think you might have hearing loss? 

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Hear what it is like to live with a hearing loss

Experience the different levels of hearing loss in typical everyday situations.

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Symptoms of hearing loss

Hearing loss can be sudden, after being exposed to a loud bang, a side effect of certain types of medications or through injury. More often, its onset is slow.

One of the most common symptoms of hearing loss is the inability to hear high-pitched tones, such as female voices, or the high-pitched tones in speech, like the letters F, H, S, and TH.  Words like “feather” and “frost” are suddenly very hard to hear.

The sounds of nature may also seem to have disappeared. If you can no longer hear birds sing or the sound of raindrops on the roof, this could be another sign of hearing loss. 

Hearing loss can affect your relationships

The symptoms of hearing loss can be misunderstood by your co-workers and loved ones. When you don’t immediately respond to what they’re saying, they may think you’re not paying attention or that you’re just not interested in their point of view. 

Social events are less enjoyable when you’re living with hearing loss.  It can be hard to understand what’s being said when there is a lot of noise in the background. Watching everyone else experience a joyous round of laughter and not being able to keep up with what was so funny can be demoralizing.
Man with hearing loss in a noisy environment: picnic with family.

Consult a hearing care professional

It’s important to take action sooner, rather than later. Over time, the brain can “forget” how to hear certain sounds. This contributes to a feeling of isolation, which is a risk factor in dementia. 

If you have signs of hearing loss, consult a hearing care professional as soon as possible. Many options are now available that will let you enjoy the exciting sounds around you. 
ReSound hearing care professional interacting with a patient during an appointment.