Why you need to check if you’re losing your hearing

A third of hearing loss cases are preventable - and experts are worried that 77 per cent of Aussies aren’t doing this one check up every year.

Hearing loss can have a significant impact on our social health.

“Sorry, what was that you said?”

“Pardon?”

“Apologies I didn’t quite catch that.”

If you think you had perfect hearing, but suddenly kept repeating these words a little too often you’re not alone.

It sounds simple, but it can be a telltale sign that your hearing was not as great as you think it is, or that you’ve been in denial – and it’s time to act.

In fact, audiologist Sam Thomas said the summer – where we often find ourselves attending more social gatherings, and chatting to people amid lots of background noise – was often a wake-up call.

“We’re participating in those catch-ups and activities and those family events, which can be noisy,” he said.

“For those with hearing loss, it can be a difficult time.”

Struggling to hear people when there is lots of background noise can be a sign of hearing loss.

It comes as new data shows many Aussies are paying little attention to our ear health.

This is despite one-in-three cases of hearing loss cases in adults being preventable.

A YouGov survey, commissioned by health insurer HCF, found more than three-quarters of Aussie adults aged 25 or older are not getting their hearing checked by a professional every year.

The survey of almost 1200 Australians also found a third had never got their hearing checked.

HCF Chief Officer Member Health Julie Andrews said – while ageing was a risk factor – we shouldn’t brush off hearing loss as “a natural part of ageing”.

“Our research shows only 23 per cent of Australians regularly check their hearing, and many are unaware that lifestyle factors like smoking and health conditions including diabetes and high blood pressure can increase their risk of hearing loss,” she said.

“Simple moments, like chatting over dinner or enjoying festive music, can become frustrating, and isolating without proper hearing.”

Mr Thomas said the good news was we could take action — on top of regular check-ups — to improve our ear health.

This includes quitting smoking – cigarettes have an impact on circulation and this affects blood flow to the ear, ultimately leading to poor hearing.

It’s also best to ensure we’re not repeatedly exposed to loud noise.

“What happens with exposure to noise is it just puts the hearing cells under a lot of strain,” he said.

Repeated exposure to loud noise, as opposed to a one-off loud concert, is typically more damaging to our hearing health.

He said this was typically related to noise exposure over a long period of time – such as people who work in loud environments without proper ear protection or musicians who repeatedly listed to very loud music.

“We’ve got little hair cells within our ears that pick up the sound and send it up to our brain,” he said.

“Over time, those hair cells begin to get damaged if they’re exposed to too much noise, and that’s what then results in the full sound not being transmitted up to the brain.”

He said it was also recommended people get their hearing checked annually – encouraging the 77 per cent of people who currently skip those yearly check-ups to book one in.

He particularly encouraged anyone with a family history of ear health issues, which can increase our risk.

He said another common signs of hearing loss was needing to turn the television up or finding it difficult to talk to people when they’re not face-to-face.

But he said, while people may think hearing loss just impacts volume, the way we hear sounds can also change – and be an indicator it’s time for a check-up.

“So due to the way that hearing changes will often tend to happen, is people can feel like they can hear people loud enough, but it sounds like they’re mumbling,” he said.

He said hearing loss was an important issue, and could have far greater impacts on our health.

“When people start to struggle, and they’re finding it really hard in situations, sometimes their response to that is to actually withdraw from the situation,” he said.

“So what that leads to is people just aren’t participating in those activities that really add to their overall engagement and overall quality of life.”

He said the higher concentration needed to follow conversations could also lead “to higher levels of fatigue”, and untreated hearing loss had been linked to “potential changes in condition over time”.

“Hearing actually has an effect on our ability to interact socially, as well as our broader health,” he said.

“It’s quite important that we stay on top of it and we look after it.”

Originally published as Why you need to check if you’re losing your hearing