You’re getting more forgetful
“So much of memory is based on what you hear. It’s hard to remember things when you can’t hear,” says Dr. Cherukuri. As you get older, though, hearing loss may become an indicator of mental decline. A study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that among 2,000 people over the age of 70, those with hearing loss had a faster decline in thinking skills over a six-year period than those with better hearing.
Loud noises are painful
Car horns can be irritating and annoying than they used to be. So, if you are irritated by loud noises, it could be a sign of hearing loss. “When you lose your hearing, your ear is less able to dampen loud noises, which may cause your ears to hurt around loud noises,” says Dr. Pincus. “The pain is hard to describe, but it’s somewhere between sharp shooting and a dull ache.”