MILD HEARING LOSS – WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
What does it mean when you are told you have MILD hearing loss? Mild hearing loss does not have mild consequences but is often ignored. It results in poor clarity, especially in noise and for soft speech.
Hearing loss can progress very slowly and can be hard to identify. You can easily miss the subtle signs and not realize you’re missing out. Your hearing loss may be mild, but it’s not insignificant!
Watch how speech gets distorted in this video – as hearing loss progresses.
Mild Hearing Loss: Hearing requires more concentration and takes greater overall effort.
• One on one conversations are OK but you must work harder to keep up in groups and multi-talker situations.
• More energy and focus is required to understand. Mental distractions interfere with hearing. Soft talkers and children’s voices are missed.
• Punch-lines, little asides and quick comments are missed. Noisy places are stressful and conversations difficult to follow.
• Interruptions throw you off track and filling-in-the-blank causes “catch-up” delay to understand.
• Misunderstandings hearing from behind and need to face them to clearly understand.
• More fatigue at the end of the day from extra hearing effort. Your social confidence suffers because of misunderstandings.
Do you have hearing loss? We recommend a baseline hearing test beginning at age 40 – to catch it before others notice. Find out where you stand so you can take measures to preserve it!
Dr. Anita Carroll is a licensed Audiologist and owner of Hearing Solutions in the Triangle, PLLC with over 25 years of experience. Need some hearing aid tips – she can be contacted here. If you’re looking to test hearing or improve listening skills visit our online scheduling here.
Take a moment and download Dr. Anita’s 30 Day Hearing Report that will give you quick, practical ways to improve your listening and hearing skills.
