It’s not like you just wake up one day, and your hearing is gone. Hearing loss comes gradually over time for most people, especially when it comes to aging. Age-related hearing loss affects about one in three people in this country. Many of them are over the age of 75 before they notice a change. You may not detect the problem right away even though some symptoms show up earlier.

Early hearing loss has progressive and subtle signs. Recognizing them as soon as possible is essential to slow down the progression of hearing loss or other health problems related to hearing loss. You can’t identify the signs if you don’t know what they are, though. You could have hearing loss if you have any of these eight barely noticeable signs.

1. Ringing in The Ears

This is one that people tend to neglect if it doesn’t get too distracting and it’s actually not very subtle. The medical term for this ringing is tinnitus, a common symptom of hearing loss.

The ringing can be intermittent and only act up when triggered. Maybe the ringing only happens when your tired or when you first get up for instance.

It’s important that you don’t neglect tinnitus because it is an indication that something is going on with your body. It might be hearing loss, but it might also be a sign of high blood pressure, circulatory problems or trauma. If you want to know for certain, you will need to see your doctor.

2. You Hate Talking on The Phone

Here are some common excuses for phone issues:

• I dropped my phone in water or on the ground.
• It’s a new phone, and I’m just not used to it yet.
• I have an old phone.

If you hate talking on the phone think about the reasons why. Get someone you know to test the phone for you if the volume is up and you still don’t hear it. If you can’t hear the conversation but they can then you have a hearing issue.

3. These Days it Seems Like Everybody Mumbles

Lately, it’s not only the kids, but also your neighbor, the news anchor, and even your spouse that have begun to mumble to you. Could it actually be true that all of a sudden everyone in your life has poor enunciation.

The more likely answer is the way you hear words is changing. One of the initial indications that your hearing is changing is when talking sounds like mumbling and consonants like “S” and “T” drop off.

4. What?

Only after someone calls you out for saying “what?” a lot do you start to realize that you can’t hear conversations as well anymore. Usually, the first to notice you have hearing loss are people close to you like coworkers or family members. Pay attention if someone comments on it.

5. Some People You Hear Fine But Others Not so Much

Perhaps when you are having a chat with the neighbor everything sounds fine but when his wife joins in you can’t make out a word. It’s a common symptom of sensorineural hearing loss or damage to the nerves that send electrical messages to the brain.

Her voice is a higher pitch, and that’s why it’s not as clear. You might have the same problem with your grandchild or daughter. Even technology like the microwave or an alarm can be a problem. Those tones are also high pitched.

6. Going Out Used to be Much More Fun

Worse yet are the people who actually mumble. Also, being in noisy places makes understanding what people say a big challenge. Something as routine as the AC popping on during dinner or the sound of people chatting around you makes it impossible to hear anything.

7. You Are More Tired Than Normal

It’s can be draining struggling to comprehend what people are saying. Your brain has to work extra hard to process what it does hear, so you are more exhausted than normal. Your other senses may also undergo changes. If your brain is utilizing 110 percent of its time and energy to comprehend words, what’s left for your eyesight or balance? If your last eye test was okay, then the next thing to get checked is your ears.

8. That Darn TV

It is easy to blame the TV or the service provider when you have to keep turning up the volume, but if this is going on all the time, perhaps it’s time for a hearing exam. When you have loss of hearing it can be hard to hear dialog. There is the background music confusing things, for instance. How about the other stuff in the room like the AC or the ceiling fan? If the volume keeps going up, then your hearing might be faltering.

The good news is all you need to do to know for sure is a professional hearing examination. If you find out you have a hearing problem, hearing aids will get things back to normal.