HEARING
📅 AUDIOPTICA LUXSO BLOG · ⏱ 10 min read
Book your free hearing test in Dénia
Most people with hearing loss wait 7 to 10 years before booking an appointment at a hearing centre. Not because they don't want to, but because the loss is so gradual that they don't notice what they're missing. The brain compensates, other people adapt, and by the time the problem becomes obvious there is already significant hearing — and cognitive — decline that could have been avoided.
If you, or someone close to you, suspect that your hearing is changing, this article is for you. Every week at Audioptica Luxso we test people who arrive saying "I think I hear fine, I've only come because my wife insists"… and many discover a hearing loss that has been developing for years without them realising.
Below we explain the warning signs, when to get your hearing checked, what a professional hearing test includes and why acting early makes all the difference.
Why hearing loss goes unnoticed for years
Unlike many health problems, hearing loss doesn't arrive overnight. It creeps in slowly, frequency by frequency, over months or years. The first frequencies to go are usually the high ones (between 2,000 and 8,000 Hz), which are precisely the ones we need to distinguish consonants ("s", "f", "th", "ch") and to understand speech in noisy places.
That explains something very common: you can hear that people are talking, but you can't make out what they're saying. The volume reaches you, but the clarity doesn't. And because you still hear "something", you assume it's other people's fault: "they mumble", "they speak too quietly", "this restaurant is far too noisy"…
Meanwhile your brain is working overtime, filling in the gaps with context, unconscious lip-reading and memory. It works for years — but at the cost of huge mental fatigue and a growing cognitive overload with serious long-term consequences.
That's why early detection is key. And for that, you need to know which signs to watch for.
12 warning signs of hearing loss
1. You turn the TV up louder than the rest of the family
The classic sign. If your partner, children or grandchildren often tell you "the telly's too loud", don't ignore it. It's one of the first objective indicators of hearing loss.
2. You often ask people to repeat themselves
Especially in casual conversation, passing comments or when someone speaks as they turn away. "Sorry?", "Pardon?", "What did you say?" stop being occasional and become constant.
3. You struggle to follow conversations in restaurants, cafés or meetings
The so-called "cocktail party effect": your brain can no longer separate the voice of the person you're talking to from the background noise. It's one of the most characteristic signs of sensorineural hearing loss. If you've started avoiding meals out, or always sit with your back to the noise, pay attention.
4. You feel that people "mumble" or "speak too quietly"
If this happens with several different people, at different times and in different places, the cause is probably not how they speak — it's how you hear them.
5. Women's and children's voices are harder to understand
Women's and children's voices are higher-pitched. When the high frequencies go — the first to deteriorate — it's common to understand men with deep voices better than women and children. If you have young grandchildren and find them especially hard to understand, it's a very clear sign.
6. You find it hard to tell where sounds are coming from
When someone calls you from another room, can't you tell whether they're to your left or right? Locating a sound depends on both ears working in balance. If hearing loss affects one side more than the other, that ability suffers.
7. You speak louder than you need to
When you can't hear your own voice properly, you tend to raise it without realising. If people tell you "there's no need to shout", you're probably compensating for a loss you haven't detected yet.
8. You feel mentally exhausted at the end of the day
This symptom is hugely underestimated. If you feel drained after an ordinary day at work or a family get-together, your brain may have been working twice as hard to understand what you hear. It's known as "listening fatigue", and it's one of the least visible but most harmful effects of untreated hearing loss.
9. You've started avoiding social situations you used to enjoy
Dinners with friends, family gatherings, talks, group events… If you've stopped going, or go less willingly, ask yourself whether it's because conversations are hard to follow. It's a very common sign and a particularly worrying one: the social isolation linked to hearing loss has serious consequences for cognitive and emotional health.
10. You hear ringing, buzzing or whistling in your ears (tinnitus)
Tinnitus affects 15–20% of the population and, in most cases, is directly related to hearing loss. It isn't simply "a noise that appears": it's often a sign that the hearing system is changing. If you notice it, especially at the end of the day or in silence, it's worth having your hearing checked.
11. Your partner, children or colleagues have mentioned it more than once
When several people, at different times, tell you that you don't hear well, they're very likely right. The people you live with notice changes before you do. Denial is one of the main reasons people delay seeking help.
12. On the phone you always switch to the same ear
If you always move the phone to the same ear because "it's clearer", the other ear probably already has a significant loss. Asymmetric hearing loss is very common and should be assessed.
Signs in children and teenagers
Hearing loss isn't only an issue for older people. In childhood, undetected hearing loss can affect language development, learning and school performance. Watch for these signs:
- Doesn't respond when called by name, especially when facing away or absorbed in something.
- Turns the TV, tablet or video games up very loud.
- Speaks louder than normal.
- Delayed language development (in young children).
- Struggles to follow lessons, or school performance has dropped for no obvious reason.
- Often asks for things to be repeated.
- Stares at your lips when you speak.
- Complains of ringing or buzzing in the ears.
- Hearing seems to have changed after several ear infections.
If you notice any of these signs, don't wait. A hearing test for children is painless, quick and completely safe.
Signs that need urgent attention
Most hearing loss is gradual and not an emergency, but in some situations you should see a professional immediately, or even go to A&E:
- Sudden hearing loss in one or both ears, within minutes or hours. This is a medical emergency: treatment within the first 72 hours significantly improves the chances of recovery.
- Severe ear pain with fever or discharge.
- Bleeding from the ear.
- Severe vertigo together with hearing loss.
- Hearing loss after a head injury or an explosion.
- Hearing loss after a sudden change in pressure (diving, flying).
- Associated neurological symptoms: severe headache, changes in taste, facial numbness.
In these cases, don't wait for a routine check: go to A&E (urgencias) or see an ENT specialist as soon as possible.
At what age should you get your hearing checked?
The World Health Organization and the main audiology bodies recommend regular hearing checks throughout life, with the frequency depending on age and risk factors:
- Children and teenagers: newborn screening and then whenever there's any concern or after recurrent ear infections.
- Adults up to 50: every 5 years, or whenever symptoms appear.
- From 50: every one or two years, even without symptoms. Age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) often starts around this age.
- From 60: a yearly check is recommended.
- People exposed to noise at work or in their free time (musicians, industrial workers, shooters, motorcyclists): every year, whatever their age.
- People with a family history of hearing loss: closer monitoring.
- People with related conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease — general health has a direct impact on hearing.
- Patients taking ototoxic medication: certain antibiotics (aminoglycosides), chemotherapy drugs, loop diuretics or high, prolonged doses of anti-inflammatories.
If you're over 50 and have never had a hearing test, now is the time — even if you don't notice any symptoms.
Why acting early makes all the difference
This is the part we most want you to understand: untreated hearing loss has consequences well beyond the ear.
- Cognitive overload and mental fatigue: your brain wears itself out decoding what it hears, draining resources it should be using for memory and attention.
- Social isolation: you stop going out, answering the phone, joining in. Quality of life drops sharply.
- Depression and anxiety: untreated hearing loss is clearly linked to a higher risk of depression.
- Higher risk of falls: yes, your hearing affects your balance. People with untreated hearing loss have a significantly higher risk of falls and fractures.
- Higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia: the 2024 Lancet Commission identifies hearing loss as one of the largest modifiable risk factors for dementia. The ACHIEVE study (Johns Hopkins, The Lancet, 2023) found that hearing intervention slowed cognitive decline by 48% in older adults at higher risk.
- Brain changes from auditory deprivation: the areas of the brain that process sound lose volume and connections when they stop receiving stimulation.
The earlier you act, the more you preserve your hearing, your brain health and your quality of life. Waiting is never the best option.
What does a professional hearing test include?
A proper hearing assessment isn't a quick five-minute test. At Audioptica Luxso a full assessment includes:
- A detailed consultation: symptoms, family and personal history, noise exposure, medication.
- Otoscopy: a visual check of the ear canal and eardrum to rule out wax, infections or other problems.
- Pure-tone audiometry: a precise measurement of your hearing threshold at each frequency, in each ear.
- Speech audiometry: assesses how well you understand speech, not just whether you detect pure tones. It's a key test that many quick checks leave out.
- Tympanometry where indicated: checks how the middle ear is working.
- Personal advice on the results and the treatment options, if needed.
All in a single appointment — free and with no obligation. If the test shows no hearing loss, we'll tell you just as clearly as if it does. What matters is the information, not the sale.
Myths that make people put it off
"It's just my age, nothing can be done." Not true. Age-related hearing loss can be treated. Today's hearing solutions greatly improve quality of life and help protect your brain health.
"Once I start wearing hearing aids I'll never be able to stop." Not true. Hearing aids don't create dependence. What happens is that once you hear properly again, you realise how much you were missing.
"I'm managing, I'll go when it gets worse." The problem is that by the time it's "worse", your brain has spent years without proper sound stimulation. Adapting to hearing aids is much quicker and more successful when it's done early.
"Hearing aids are so noticeable." Modern hearing aids (receiver-in-canal, in-the-ear and invisible-in-canal models) are practically invisible. The big, clunky hearing aid belongs to the past.
"A hearing test is complicated or painful." It's painless, quick (under an hour) and free at our centres.
Book your appointment: one hour can change your life
If you recognise three or more of these signs, if you're over 50 and have never had a test, if you have tinnitus or if your partner has told you more than once that you don't hear well — now is the time. A professional hearing test takes less than an hour. It's free, painless and with no obligation, and the information you take away can transform your quality of life for the next 20 or 30 years.
Visit us in Dénia
📍 Audioptica Luxso Dénia — Calle Diana, 35 · English spoken
📞 Opticians: +34 692 609 299 · Hearing care: +34 685 082 459
🕐 Mon 10:00–14:00 · Tue–Fri 10:00–14:00 and 17:00–20:00 · Sat 10:00–14:00
Book your free hearing test in Dénia
References
- World Health Organization: Deafness and hearing loss. Fact sheet.
- Livingston G, et al. Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission. The Lancet, 2024.
- Lin FR, et al. Hearing intervention versus health education control to reduce cognitive decline in older adults with hearing loss (ACHIEVE). The Lancet, 2023.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA): Adult Hearing Screening.