What It’s Like To Have Hearing Loss
When you have a hearing loss, it can be hard to explain how your life has changed along with your hearing. What’s more, many people don’t realize how hearing loss has affected their lives, as it’s such a gradual process. We’re here to help you help others understand, in turn creating a support system for you in your better-hearing journey.
Research tells us that concealing your hearing loss can create tension in your social or professional life that could negatively affect your mental health. Talking about it eases the stress of hiding the condition.
How to Talk About Your Hearing Loss
The way your hearing loss sounds to you can be different than another person’s loss. How your hearing loss sounds depends on the type (sensorineural or conductive, or even a mix) and degree of the hearing loss. As Starkey Hearing Technologies points out on their hearing loss simulator page, “a person with normal hearing can hear quiet, medium, and loud sounds that vary from low pitch to high pitch with amazing clarity and definition. When you have hearing loss, you often lose higher-pitch sounds, like the sound of women’s and children’s voices or consonants like t, s, and f. Even though you may be able to hear strong vowel sounds such as a, e, and i, speech becomes harder to comprehend.”
- Pick someone you trust to listen to what you have to say.
- Be honest and open; while vulnerability is hard, it creates strong connections and support.
- Give them examples of instances where you cannot hear very well and what that is like for you
- Show them what your hearing loss is like with Starkey’s hearing loss simulator
What Tinnitus Sounds Like
Tinnitus is a symptom of hearing loss but sounds very different than hearing loss. Anyone afflicted with the annoying ringing and hissing of tinnitus is well aware of the stress, anxiety, and irritability that accompany these phantom howls — but how do you explain that to others?
- Pick someone you trust to listen to what you have to say.
- Be honest and open; while vulnerability is hard, it creates strong connections and support.
- Give them examples of instances where you are distracted or debilitated by your tinnitus and what that is like for you. If you can, think of instances for which the person was present, so they can better understand your reactions to it.
- Try to convey the consistency of your tinnitus (how often it occurs during the day, at what times, and anything that seems to set it off).
Do not use the hearing loss simulator to test your own hearing. A hearing test simulator is for informational purposes and is not intended as a diagnostic evaluation. For a complete test and evaluation of your hearing, you should visit a qualified and licensed hearing care professional. While testing your hearing on the internet can give you some insight, we strongly recommend you be tested by hearing professionals, like us. Contact us today to schedule your consultation to begin getting relief from your hearing loss.
To get the most out of your consultation with us, we recommend bringing a companion with you so you feel supported, and so we can ask them about their experience with your hearing.
