Presbycusis refers to the gradual decline in hearing that occurs as people age. In other words, this is known as age-related hearing loss. A lot of people experience this issue as they get older. Roughly 30% of people over 65 report some degree of hearing loss.
This type of hearing loss gradually develops over time. As a result, not everyone initially notices the shift. Hearing high-pitched sounds, such as a phone ringing or a microwave beeping or worryingly, alarms sounding, is typically affected. A person’s ability to hear sounds at a low frequency is usually unaffected. With that in mind, here are some of the initial symptoms of age-related hearing loss to watch out for.
Ringing in the Ears
It’s possible that you have tinnitus if your ears feel stuffed up and there’s ringing in them. Tinnitus is often the first symptom when someone has hearing loss.
While ringing in the ears is the most common symptom of tinnitus, other sounds, such as hissing, roaring or clicking, may also be present. The sound can be loud or soft, high or low pitched and it might be easier to hear when there is less background noise, although in many cases, it tends to always be present.
Some Consonant Sounds Are Hard to Hear
It is possible that you have lost the ability to hear noises with a high frequency. In spoken language, this correlates to the sounds of the consonants ‘s,’ ‘f,’ ‘th,’ ‘sh,’ ‘v,’ ‘k’ and ‘p’. These sounds are essential because they allow you to differentiate between words that sound quite similar to one another, such as show and throw or keep and peep.
As a consequence of this, you could misunderstand significant parts of the conversation, leading you to reply in an inappropriate manner or to believe that the other people are muttering. In other words, you are able to hear – to a point, at least – but you are unable to understand.
You Have to Strain to Hear
You might have listening fatigue if you notice that you have to strain to pay attention to the conversation and if, at the end of the day, you feel more exhausted than you normally do. This can happen if you are having trouble following the conversations around you, much like a radio signal that is fading or a phone connection that is poor.
Hearing is an activity that takes place in the brain, which most people find surprising to learn. If your auditory system is damaged, as it can be simply due to your age, it will be much more difficult for your brain to process the sound that is sent to it from your inner ear. Your brain has to work harder to hear sounds, and you’ll be straining – perhaps without realizing it. This is what makes you feel so tired.
Birds And Similar Noises Have Disappeared
Just stop for a second and consider: when was the last time you were able to clearly hear birds singing or insects chirping? When a car’s turn signal is flashing, can you hear the clicks? Are your children’s or grandchildren’s voices too faint for you to make out?
Someone who has hearing loss in the higher frequencies may have problems hearing higher-pitched noises and voices. Since age-related hearing loss affects those higher frequencies, this could be a good sign of an issue in this area.
Some Sounds Are Too Loud
Do you find that loud noises have a tendency to shock you easily? Put it down to something called recruitment, which is something that frequently occurs in people who have age-related hearing loss. This takes place as a result of the fact that not all of the hair cells in your ear fall out at the same time. When a sound is on the louder side, it causes healthy cells to respond more forcefully than they normally would. As a result, noises that are on the louder side might be more jarring, and they can even sound distorted.
You Keep Turning the TV Up
Unless someone else draws your attention to it, you might not notice that you have repeatedly been pressing the volume up button. However, if you need to lower the volume in order to hear someone talk, for example, it may be an indication that your hearing is impaired.
If you need more advice about age-related hearing loss and how to deal with it, it’s best to speak to an expert audiologist. Call Albuquerque Hearing and Balance at (505) 750-9569 for professional services to help you.