I Can't Hear Properly: Here's why and what to do

Do you find yourself thinking, “I can’t hear properly” from time to time? Perhaps you can hear, but you can’t understand? Your hearing loss may be the result of ageing, you may have ear wax buildup or an infection, or you may have a more serious condition. The gradual realisation that you can’t hear properly can be alarming, but there are steps you can take to restore your hearing. Many types of hearing loss can be treated so if you’re struggling to hear - there is hope. Having trouble with your hearing is not something that’s always immediately noticeable, and many people who suffer from hearing loss don’t notice there’s anything wrong for quite a while — and then, almost suddenly, they’re struggling to hear as they used to. They might be having trouble hearing the TV at the usual volume, for instance, or they could have difficulty hearing what people are saying to them, especially in places where there’s lots of background noise that might muffle speech for them. Do you find yourself thinking, “I can’t hear properly” from time to time? In this article, we outline why you may not be able to hear as well as you used to and what to do about it.

The Stresses of Not Being Able To Hear Properly

It can be distressing when hearing loss happens because it typically occurs over quite a while. At the beginning, when issues are occurring with the ears, you often won’t notice that your hearing is on a gradual decline — whether it ends up as temporary or permanent hearing loss. Then you’re cast into an unfamiliar and oftentimes frightening world that you have to navigate carefully, and it can have severe impacts on your work, relationships and home life. You finally admit there is a problem and wonder what is going on, what the cause of it is and if there’s anything you can do to restore your hearing to the way it was. It’s only at upsetting times like this that we come to the realisation that we can take so much for granted with our senses and other aspects of our bodies — and that you really don’t appreciate something and how good it is until it’s either not functioning properly or gone. Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do when you can’t hear properly, and in this post, we’re going to look at the main areas of help you can get, as well as what the issues behind gradual hearing loss might be.

Signs you may be experiencing hearing loss

Those suffering a loss of hearing exhibit ‘the usual’ behaviours. They might be having trouble hearing the TV at the usual volume, for instance, or they could have difficulty hearing what people are saying to them, especially in places where there’s lots of background noise that might muffle speech for them. So what signs should you look for if you’re wondering if you can’t hear properly or the way you used to?

• Difficulty making out what people are saying to you, especially in crowded and noisy places like pubs, cafés and restaurants.

• Having to turn up the radio or TV louder than unusual because you can’t hear them properly, possibly raising questions among family who are listening or watching with you because it’s too loud for them.

• Inability to clearly hear what’s being said on the phone.

• Finding that you’re increasingly asking people to repeat what they said because you missed some of it. Or asking them to speak more slowly or louder.

• You can no longer hear birds chirping first thing in the morning.

• Your partner says you don’t listen to them because you ignore what they say.

It can be easy to pass any of these, and more, off as just something passing and not pay particular attention to it. But if it’s an ongoing issue and you find that you’re becoming tired, exhausted and stressed because you can’t make out the audible world around you, it’s time to seek some help and see what’s going on with your hearing. It could just be a buildup of earwax that you need removing, or it could be something more serious.