Hearing loss is something you probably assume you'll notice right away if you experience it. After all, a drop in your hearing ability – whether gradual or sudden – should be obvious when it happens, right?

Unfortunately, detecting changes in your own hearing can be rather difficult. In many cases, a person whose hearing has deteriorated only becomes aware of the problem when friends or family notice a change first.

It's helpful to be on the lookout for signs that may not be obvious. While you might not simply notice that you're having trouble hearing as clearly as you used to, you'll probably find some of these other issues more obvious.

Increased clumsiness

Everyone can be a bit clumsy at times, but if you've found yourself becoming more accident-prone, it could be related to your hearing.

When you begin to experience hearing loss, it can cause you to concentrate more on the world around you. This can be distracting enough that you fail to notice obstacles and hazards in time, causing trips, falls and stumbles.

Sometimes, hearing loss and conditions causing it lead to dizziness, which can also make you more likely to have minor accidents.

Not enjoying social events

Some people find they're not enjoying interacting with people or going to busy places as much as they used to, but struggle to understand why.

The answer might be hearing loss. It makes it difficult to hear what people are saying and follow conversations, and the effort of trying can be exhausting.

Regular earache

If you notice you get pain in your ears fairly often, it's always best to get it checked out. It can be a sign of various different health problems, one of which is hearing loss. People sometimes notice pains before they're aware of increased hearing difficulty.

Noises in your ears

In addition to the world around you becoming quieter, you may find you have ringing, whooshing or buzzing sounds in your ears. This is called tinnitus and often accompanies hearing loss, making it even more difficult to focus.

Loss of energy

The constant effort of struggling to hear what's going on around you is extremely mentally taxing. You might find yourself regularly feeling wiped out and wanting to withdraw to your home, with energy levels low and stress levels high.

If you can't work out what's making you so tired, pay attention to your hearing and work out if there's been a gradual change occurring. Visit a local hearing clinic for more assistance and to learn what you can do.