Hearing is essential for your quality of life, so it's important to pay attention to your ears. The initial signs of diminishing hearing ability can be difficult to recognize because your brain compensates for what you no longer hear by using stored experiences. However, over time, your brain loses its ability to detect and interpret sound signals.
At first, your auditory experiences may seem unchanged. Many people either overlook or fail to notice the early signs of hearing loss and may ignore them for an extended period. Typically, high-frequency sounds, such as the rustling of wind or the chirping of birds, become progressively quieter before disappearing entirely from your auditory perception. As this happens, it becomes increasingly challenging to understand speech. You may struggle to hear high, unvoiced consonants, especially in noisy environments, like crowded places, leading to frequent requests for clarification.
As your brain continuously works to fill in the gaps of what is no longer heard, you may find yourself becoming fatigued. Communication can feel exhausting. If hearing loss is left untreated for a long time, your brain may need to relearn how to interpret sound signals correctly. This is why hearing experts recommend having your hearing checked as soon as you notice any initial signs of loss.
External and middle ear
When the function of the external or middle ear is impaired, this is referred to as conductive hearing loss. This can often be surgically or medically corrected. In individual cases, a hearing system is also recommended.
Inner ear
When the cause of your hearing loss is in the area of the inner ear and auditory nerve (sensorineural hearing loss), the hair sensory cells are frequently damaged and therefore cannot correctly process the sound waves. In this case, modern hearing systems help by amplifying the sound impulses.
Take the hearing test
A checkup is the best precaution
A hearing system specialist can record and assess your hearing ability in detail and recommend individual solutions to you.
Whether or not your hearing ability is already decreasing can only be assessed based on the overall picture of your individual hearing. Therefore, during a hearing test, your hearing ability is checked at various pitches. The result is known as an audiogram. On the basis of this audiogram, it can be definitively assessed whether and, if so, which hearing system you need and how it needs to be adjusted.
Whether or not your hearing ability is already decreasing can only be assessed based on the overall picture of your individual hearing. Therefore, during a hearing test, your hearing ability is checked at various pitches. The result is known as an audiogram. On the basis of this audiogram, it can be definitively assessed whether and, if so, which hearing system you need and how it needs to be adjusted.