7 Signs You — or Someone You Love — May Need a Hearing Test
Posted by Ian Mishler, BC-HIS | Riverside Hearing Care | Bath, Maine
Hearing loss rarely arrives all at once. It tends to creep in slowly — so slowly that most people don't notice it for years. In fact, the average person waits seven to ten years between the first signs of hearing loss and actually doing something about it. That's a long time to miss conversations, turn up the TV, and ask people to repeat themselves.
Whether you've been privately wondering about your own hearing or a family member has been nudging you to get it checked, here are seven signs it's time to schedule a hearing evaluation.
1. You're Asking People to Repeat Themselves — a Lot
One "what?" here and there is normal. But if you find yourself regularly asking people to repeat themselves — especially in quiet settings where background noise isn't an excuse — that's a meaningful signal. Most people with early hearing loss notice this first in conversation with their spouse or partner, often because they're speaking in a relaxed, conversational tone rather than projecting.
2. You Struggle to Follow Conversations in Noisy Places
Restaurants, family gatherings, town meetings — any environment with competing noise — can become exhausting when hearing isn't quite right. This is often one of the first practical complaints people describe: "I can hear fine at home, but the moment there's background noise, I'm lost."
The reason? High-frequency hearing loss — the most common pattern — affects your ability to distinguish speech sounds like s, f, th, and sh. Those sounds are the consonants that give words their meaning. Without them, speech becomes a blur of vowels that sounds muffled or mumbled.
3. You're Turning Up the Volume More Than You Used To
Has your TV volume crept up over the years? Do others comment that it's too loud for them? This is one of those changes that happens so gradually it's hard to notice on your own — but it's a consistent early indicator of hearing change.
4. You're Mentally Exhausted After Conversations
This one surprises people. Hearing loss is cognitively taxing. When your ears aren't delivering clear input, your brain works overtime to fill in the gaps — piecing together what was said from context clues, lip movements, and past experience. After an hour of that, you're worn out in a way that has nothing to do with the content of the conversation.
If social situations feel more draining than they used to, hearing may be part of the reason.
5. You Hear a Ringing, Buzzing, or Hissing That Others Don't
Tinnitus — perceived sound with no external source — affects roughly 15% of adults and is frequently associated with underlying hearing loss. It may be a high-pitched ring, a low hum, a hiss, or intermittent tones. It can range from mildly annoying to genuinely disruptive to sleep and concentration.
Tinnitus doesn't always mean hearing loss, but the two often occur together and should be evaluated together.
6. You've Started Avoiding Certain Situations
This one is easy to rationalize. "I don't really enjoy parties anyway." "The kids are just mumblers." "That restaurant is always too loud."
But if you find yourself pulling back from social situations — phone calls, dinner parties, crowded family gatherings — take an honest look at whether hearing is part of what's making them feel harder. Social withdrawal is one of the well-documented downstream effects of untreated hearing loss, and it has real consequences for mental health and cognitive health over time.
7. Someone Close to You Has Said Something
Spouses, adult children, and close friends are often the first to notice — and the last to be believed. If someone in your life has mentioned that you seem to be struggling to hear, or that the volume on the TV is too loud, or that they're tired of repeating themselves, that's worth taking seriously. It's usually not nagging. It's usually concern.
What Happens at a Hearing Evaluation?
A comprehensive hearing evaluation at Riverside Hearing Care includes a full audiometric workup to assess the type, degree, and configuration of any hearing loss — along with a thorough conversation about your lifestyle, communication needs, and goals.
If hearing aids are recommended, we use Real Ear Measurement at every single fitting — a verification standard endorsed by the American Academy of Audiology and the International Hearing Society, but skipped by a surprising number of providers. It's the difference between hearing aids that are simply turned on and hearing aids that are actually calibrated to your ear and your hearing loss. Every patient deserves to know that their hearing aids are doing what they're supposed to do.
Ready to Find Out Where You Stand?
If any of these signs sound familiar — whether for yourself or someone you care about — the next step is simple: schedule a hearing evaluation. There's no pressure, no sales pitch, and no managed care network limiting your options.
Riverside Hearing Care is an independent hearing care practice serving Bath, Brunswick, and Midcoast Maine. We also offer mobile outreach to senior living communities throughout Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Kennebec, and Cumberland Counties.
Call us at 207-481-3451 or schedule online at www.riversidehearingcare.com/contact.
Ian Mishler is a Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist (BC-HIS) and the owner of Riverside Hearing Care, located at 99 Commercial Street, Suite 102, Bath, Maine. He is Maine's only HearingUp-certified provider.