10 Signs You Need a Hearing Test

Conversation signs

Common clues include asking people to repeat themselves, thinking others are mumbling, losing track of group conversations, and struggling more when background noise is present. You may hear someone speaking but still miss the words.

Phone calls can also become harder. If you favor one ear on the phone or need captions more often, note when it happens and whether one side is noticeably different.

Daily-life signs

Turning the television higher than others prefer, missing a doorbell or alarm, withdrawing from social events, and feeling unusually tired after listening are reasons to ask about your hearing. Ringing or buzzing in the ears can occur with or without hearing loss and deserves discussion too.

• Ask people to repeat themselves often.
• Have trouble in restaurants or meetings.
• Turn devices up more than companions do.
• Miss soft voices or environmental sounds.
• Find phone calls difficult.
• Rely increasingly on captions.
• Favor one ear.
• Feel drained after conversations.
• Avoid gatherings because listening is hard.
• Notice tinnitus or a change in hearing.

What to do with this list

These signs are prompts for an evaluation, not a self-diagnosis. Wax, middle-ear problems, and other conditions can also change how you hear. A clinician can check for those possibilities and interpret the full results.

Bring a few examples, your current devices if you use them, and any earlier audiograms. That makes it easier to compare what you experience with what testing shows.