Recognising Early Signs of Hearing Loss
Hearing, like life, usually changes gradually. And for most of us, these gradual changes go almost unnoticed. They become our new normal, so to speak. We forget how we once were. We don’t see how much we have changed. Often, it is others who point out how different we are, or how we have limited our lifestyle without realising it. Our brains are very good at adapting and telling us we are just the same as we always were.
This guide will explore how we might better spot the early signs of hearing loss and how doing so could lead to better outcomes socially, emotionally and cognitively.
By Paul Shaw, MSc, Clinical Scientist and Registered Hearing Aid Dispenser
June 2026 | 10 min read
Key takeaways:
1. Hearing loss is a natural part of life, but it can go unnoticed for years.
2. Hearing loss can cause tiredness, social withdrawal, and affect our health and well-being.
3. Being proactive about our hearing can lead to benefits in the quality of our lives and can potentially lower the risk of cognitive decline (poor brain health). (See ‘Hearing Loss and Dementia Blog for more information).
Why is recognising hearing loss so hard?
Imagine listening to your favourite song. If you are as old as I am, this could be on vinyl, CD, or cassette; for those digitally native, it would typically be a digital source. You are listening to all the notes and instruments of the track. The bass is thumping, the cymbals are clear, and the vocals are crisp and melodic.
Now, imagine turning the treble down (the high frequencies). You would immediately notice a difference. The song would sound a bit flat, less full and with less character and emotion.
Imagine we didn’t turn the treble down suddenly, but in small steps over, say, over a 30-year period. Chances are, we wouldn’t notice the day-by-day changes, and our brains would get used to the tiny changes made each day.
Fast forward 30 years, and for most of us, what we now hear (reduced treble and high frequencies) would be our normal, and we would have forgotten how the song should sound.
Now consider how we hear speech, bird song, the vast tapestry of life. If our hearing changes so subtly, over a long period of time, it is no wonder that most people are simply unaware that their hearing has changed. We don’t realise what we can no longer hear. Our new normal is simply what we hear, and we have no way to compare our hearing to what it was previously.
The gradual loss of birdsong, the gradual lack of ability to hear what a friend says, or the gradual increase in ‘mumbling’ that seems to be so widespread that surely everyone needs to speak more clearly!
See the Describing Hearing Loss blog for more information.
How to spot hearing loss?
“The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.” Nathaniel Branden
Awareness of hearing loss had to precede acceptance of it. The acceptance of hearing loss is another topic, but we know that for many people, accepting that they have a hearing loss can take many years.
Sticking with awareness, what are the most common signs to look for that may indicate a person knows their hearing is starting to negatively affect their life?
- Asking people to repeat themselves more often
Everyone mishears occasionally, myself included. If you find yourself regularly saying, “Sorry, could you say that again?” or “Excuse me”, chances are that it’s not just poor acoustics to blame. Your hearing is likely to be contributing to the difficulties you are having hearing people speak.
Speech typically becomes difficult to hear due to the loss of high-frequency speech sounds. It’s a bit like not being able to see some colours of the rainbow. We lose the ability to hear certain sounds like ‘s’, ‘th’, and ‘f’.
For others, a general loss of hearing across all frequencies means sounds feel generally quieter and less clear.
As an independent audiology clinic in Leeds, we offer hearing testing in a calm, unhurried space, where we genuinely listen to any worries or concerns you have about your hearing.
- Difficulty following conversations in noise.
I was recently at a busy café in a well-known Yorkshire Mill with my family. My daughter, who was sitting opposite me, was speaking to me, but I could not hear a word she said. The café was open-plan and busy, with lots of conversations. The acoustics were particularly poor, mainly due to the high ceilings and hard surfaces, but it made me think how difficult it must be for anyone with even a mild hearing loss to hear well in environments like that.
Our brains simply can’t make sense of the already limited bandwidth our ears transmit.
Conversations feel harder to follow than they used to, even when you are concentrating.
You may notice you are sitting back and not really taking part in discussions as you used to, or that it is draining and tiring just to listen.
- The television volume keeps creeping up
This is one of the most common early signs of hearing loss in adults and is often the first one that other family members notice. I remember visiting my grandmother many years ago. She would often be watching TV, and as soon as I stepped into her house, I could hear the TV very loudly. For her, this was normal and necessary to hear what was happening. But for anyone with normal hearing, this was a sure sign that hearing was a problem.
If family members or friends regularly comment on the level of your TV, or you find yourself increasing the volume more than before, it may not just be that ‘everyone mumbles these days’. It may actually be your hearing which is the cause.
Consistently needing higher volume levels is one of the early signs of hearing loss in adults that should not be ignored.
- Fatigue after socialising
Listening requires physical and mental energy, and even a slight change in our hearing makes it harder to fully take part in conversations.
Our brains must work overtime to fill in the blanks of every sentence we hear. This constant state of hyperfocus can leave you feeling exhausted after a simple dinner party, birthday meal or meeting. You may find yourself feeling irritable or ready to nap immediately after socialising. Of course, there are other reasons we may feel this way; however, hearing loss definitely leads to tiredness and fatigue.
This “listening fatigue” occurs because your cognitive resources are drained from the effort of hearing. Healthy hearing should not leave you feeling wiped out. Mental exhaustion is real and is a physical symptom of auditory strain.
- Avoidance of social situations
As we age, some people may feel less sociable. Too tired, too busy, the demands of life always in the way. For some, the struggle to hear well is the main reason they avoid social settings.
One of the early signs of hearing loss in adults that often goes unnoticed is gradual withdrawal from social situations.
Choosing a quiet evening over a busy pub or restaurant may seem perfectly normal. However, for some people, this change happens because hearing conversations has become more difficult. These subtle behavioural shifts can be early signs of hearing loss in adults, even if you have not consciously linked them to your hearing.
- Guessing what was said
We’ve all done it. We are in a loud restaurant or bar. Everyone is talking; the music is loud. We are talking to someone we have just met, and we don’t know them well enough to tell them we cannot hear them. So, we nod, and we smile. And occasionally, we hear part of the conversation, but not enough to really join in. So, we end up listening and agreeing politely with the general gist of what is being said.
While this happens occasionally to everyone, regularly guessing can be one of the first signs of hearing loss. Over time, these early signs of hearing loss in adults can affect confidence and, as we have previously noted, lead to withdrawal and isolation. It’s time we all stopped nodding along!
If you are frequently filling in the gaps during conversations, it may be time to consider whether these are early signs that your hearing is not where it used to be.
- Ringing in the ear or tinnitus
One of the most common things I hear from clients is that they not only struggle to hear but also hear ringing in their ears. For some, this is more apparent when in quiet and at night. For others, this is noticeable throughout the day.
The reasons are simple. Hearing loss and tinnitus are symptoms of changes (degeneration) in the cochlea, which are the tiny powerhouses of our hearing mechanism. Thus, anyone with any level of hearing loss is more likely to experience tinnitus. It may not be problematic, but if you notice tinnitus more often, it’s another sign that your hearing may have changed.
See the ‘Tinnitus blog’ for more information.
Why is it important to spot hearing loss?
Hearing loss has long been considered an invisible condition. We don’t typically wake up one day not hearing as well as we used to.
Instead, it creeps up slowly, with our brains gradually adjusting to these tiny incremental changes to our hearing.
The impact of these gradual changes is noticed in other people mumbling, or TV shows not being as clear as they used to be. Conversation leaves us tired, and we nod along yet again!
As we mentioned earlier, awareness must come before acceptance, and acceptance of hearing loss can take several years before action.
We know that taking action to improve hearing can lead to many benefits. These include improved emotional and mental health, physical health, better relationships, and a lower risk of cognitive decline.
But, for many people, age brings other health challenges. Hearing may seem unimportant compared to a serious illness or life-threatening diagnosis. Human nature is to prioritise things.
Taking action for better hearing
So, my advice to anyone who feels their hearing has changed is to take action. Get a test. Find out from a professional audiologist what your hearing is and whether you should be planning to take action to improve your hearing, or simply when you should plan for another test if no immediate action is recommended.
We check our teeth, eyes, and general health regularly. Our hearing should be no different.
Modern hearing technology can provide remarkable benefits to people with hearing loss. In my practice, I am finding that clients with very mild hearing loss are seeing significant benefits from hearing devices. They report that listening is easier, that they can sit back in conversations and join in. That listening is enjoyable rather than tiring.
We provide honest, clear and detailed advice to residents of Leeds, inlcuding Roundhay, Adel, Shadwell, Alwoodley and more.
Find out more about our 90 minute ‘Hearing Evaluation‘ or call to speak to Paul Shaw, Clinical Scientist in audiology.