“Could you repeat that?” “What did you say?” “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite get that.”
Do you or someone you know have symptoms of hearing loss?
Typically, a person doesn’t go deaf immediately. Usually, hearing loss happens over time, getting worse the older you get. Ever notice how many senior citizens wear hearing aids? That said, hearing loss can be sudden in certain situations.
One of the main ways you can recognize hearing loss is if you find yourself thinking what others say sounds muffled. You have to ask them to repeat themselves, often. Interestingly, usually the person with the hearing loss is the last person to know—it’s their friends and family who figure it out first.
We all know a person who can’t hear what is going during a television show, despite having the volume up as high as it will go.
When someone has hearing loss, they often become withdrawn in groups, feeling left out of the conversation. It’s frustrating to both the person with hearing difficulties, and their loved ones who are trying to communicate with him or her.
Gun shooters, in particular, are prone to hearing loss, because gun shots are extremely loud. It’s vitally important to protect your ears if you’re a shooter. ESP (Electronic Shooters Protection) makes custom-fit earplugs that allow people to hear normal conversations while blocking the loud gunshot noises from damaging the ears. Rather than suffer with hearing loss, shooters should make a point of always protecting their ears when using their guns and/or being around others shooting guns.
One of the worst parts of damaging your hearing through gunshot noise is that symptoms can occur immediately. Do you want to be the person that has their television at full volume at a young age? Or the person who always feels left out during conversations at the dinner table? Of course not. But it can happen to you if you don’t take preventative measures.
Be smart, and don’t go shooting without hearing protection.